The beauty of white eyes
by VespaRiderXephon-01
Summary: naruoc, rated T to be safe. When neji leaves on a long term mission. Hinata gets a new bodyguard. What will happen when her gaurdian, Hyuuga Byakko, follows hinata on one of her stalker escapades? please read and review!
1. profiles and stuff

Right. I basically revised this a tiny bit cuz i realized some of it could've been vague and misunderstood, or not understood at all. Not much change, only to the oc profile.

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Profiles and Stuff:

-OC Profiles-

Hyuuga Byakko-

Age: 18

Rank: hyuuga branch house member, not a village ninja

Skills: more proficient than neji at the hyuuga arts, though has nil experience with other aspects of the ninja arts. Knows kaiten, rokujyuu yonshou, and others. Specializes in the Hakke: Hyaku nijyuu hasshou.

Clothes: inside home-wears a plain white kimono with a purplish-pink obi and flat, toed straw sandals. Does not wear any trinkets or jewelery.

Outside home-wears a black tanktop over a fine-meshed fishnet shirt. Over the shirt is a hinata-like jacket, except it's unzipped. Has dark crimson pants on and black ninja sandals. Wears two supply pouches and two shuriken/kunai holsters (one on each side even though she doesn't know about other ninja arts doesn't mean she can't use basic weapons)

Eyes: white (what do you expect? She's a hyuuga!)

Hair: black and waist-length; straight with slight bangs (wears hair down, like most hyuuga)

Build/other: somewhat petite but voluptuous (let's just say she can rival anko or kurenai) frame, skinny. Skin slightly more tanned than most hyuugas. Somewhat large eyes and a centered, but slightly large nose. Full, luscious lips.

Background: She was born the daughter of the cousin of Hyuuga Hizashi and Hyuuga Hiyashi two years after hinata and the rest of the rookie nine. A member of the branch house, her parents did not allow her to attend the ninja academy, thinking that her time was better spent at the compound perfecting her hyuuga skills. Before Hinata, she was not assigned a charge and thus could only spend her time training or doing things in the town.

Likes/dislikes: Likes her parents (Hyuuga Rumiko Mother, Zenshou Kiriyama Father), training, takoyaki, and festivals. Dislikes arrogant and distant people, people who brood too much on their pasts, tofu, and formal dinners.

Hobbies/dreams: She cultivates bonsai trees in her spare time, and she wants to later be able to eliminate the hyuuga house of all arrogant stick-up-their-ass people.

Personality: Energetic at most times but prefers to keep things quiet. A bit introspective. Has a decent intellect and is very good at weaving words when she wants to. She likes to have fun and has an aversion towards things too formal and stuffy. She doesn't like how most hyuuga seem to be too arrogant because she realizes that acting like that doesn't make any friends. During battle, she tends to not plan ahead, but instead reacts to things.

-Character Status-

Naruto:

Age: 20

Rank: jounin

Neji:

Age: 21

Rank: special jounin

Lee:

Age: 21

Rank: special jounin

Tenten:

Age: 21

Rank: jounin

Shino:

Age: 20

Rank: ANBU captain of squad 10

Kiba:

Age: 20

Rank: Hunter-Nin tracker

Hinata:

Age: 20

Rank: Jounin (though mostly due to "hyuuga persuasion" on Hiashi's part)

Sakura

Age: 20

Rank: chuunin

Ino:

Age: 20

Rank: chuunin

Chouji:

Age: 20

Rank: chuunin

Shikamaru:

Age: 20

Rank: jounin

Gaara:

Age: 21

Rank: Kazekage

Kankuro

Age: 22

Rank: Jounin

Temari:

Age: 22

Rank: special jounin

: Hyuuga Hiashi "persuaded" the konoha council to make hinata a jounin. This was a "test" to see if she was worthy of staying in the main house. Needless to say she barely passed. Since then, Hiashi, Neji, and Hinata have been on slightly better terms with each other. Far from a warm relationship, instead it included a willingness to listen to each other and Hiashi stopping his open abuse towards Hinata. Byakko does not know of this growing relationship.

-Warnings/Other-

Warning: this contains spoilers. Not for those caught up to at least when Naruto got back from his training trip.

A/N: Right, well I might as well explain some stuff now.

If you're wondering about Sasuke, he still hasn't been retrieved, and Sakura still pines away at him. I'll let you vote on if he's taken over by Orochimaru yet.

Hinata got stronger, but still needs to work on her personality. She has no self-confidence.

Naruto still has the same personality that states that he is addicted to ramen and would show off a new move as soon as he got one, but he stopped yelling all the time. He got much stronger, he learned new jutsu before he came back when he was 16 (yes, he stayed away longer in this fic). He is also able to dispel minor genjutsu. In addition, he is slightly better in tactics and has improved vastly in taijutsu. His form and power are now better than lee's, but even though his speed increased, he is still a long ways away from being able to match Lee in speed. He is also sought after by the ANBU-13, even though he declines in that he wants to have students in the future.

The ANBU system: In short, think Bleach. There are thirteen squads of ANBU, and they are replaced whenever someone dies or his mental/physical state goes beyond repair. The squads each consist of a captain, vice-captain, and 4 squad members

Special jounin are between ANBU and Jounin in rank, and there can be an infinite amount of hunter-nin as long as you apply and pass through training. Hunter-nin work in squads of 4.

If you squint real hard, there might be a hint of other pairings. (shikatema, the like)


	2. What! Hinata's reluctant new bodyguard!

A/N: Yo! First story here, hope you like!

Disclaimer: …err, isn't that enough?

_thoughts_

"speech"

**The Beauty of White Eyes**

Chapter 1

"What! Hinata's reluctant new bodyguard!"

Neji was acually having a nice day for once. This was his first break in between missions for the week, and he fully intended to use it to rest.

Well, he was having a nice day until random konoha chuunin #49 suddenly appeared on top of the lowermost branch of the tree he was resting on. Then and there, Neji instinctively _knew_ that that chuunin carried a message about Tsunade-sama and another mission.

"Tsunade-sama wants to see you, sir." Informed the chuunin. Oh, how Neji hated being right all the time.

"Right, I'll be right there." Neji said. Sighing, he got up and ran towards the Hokage's office.

------------------------The hokage's office----------------------------------------------------

When Neji arrived, he was pleasantly shocked to see that he was led right in. Usually, due to Tsunade's lazy tendencies, the whole place was backed up with people who wanted to see her, and you usually had to wait about thirty minutes.

"Ah, you're here, Neji." Tsunade started as a small smirk caressed her face. _Tch, sadistic woman, working me to my bones_ Neji thought.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Neji decided to be polite as possible, if the rumors were true, he definitely didn't want to experience her anger.

"I called you here, Neji, to assign you and your team an A-rank protection mission. You are to be protecting a businessman while he gets a new company well established." Tsunade informed him.

"What? Shouldn't this be a C-rank mission, then?" Neji asked, hoping to get out of yet another mission."

"No, apparently, this guy made quite a few enemies a few years back. He fears the participation of Stone jounins." Tsunade stated.

Neji sighed, "Why can't you get another jounin team to do this mission? Like Naruto's? This will be the third mission this week, me and my team are worked to the bone here."

"I'm sorry; Neji, but he requested you."

"What? Why?" Asked Neji, apparently shocked.

"Oh come now, you really can't not know, can you? I mean; the prodigy of the hyuugas, the green beast of konoha, and konoha's smartest ninja? Of course everybody would be requesting you. I've kept a lot of work off your back already." Tsunade said, exasperated.

"But…"

"But nothing." Tsunade sighed, "Whatever. This mission is still yours. The rest of the details are in this scroll. You leave tommorrow." Dejected and sad, Neji walked out sullenly.

-------------------------In the evening----------------------------------------------------------

Neji walked home with many things on his mind. He had to inform Hinata and Hiashi about his new mission. Neji, having made jounin expected to get more missions, but not this many! This was the third one this week! Not only that, but this was a long term one; to help get a new business get on its feet as well as guard against potential shinobi assassins. Neji sighed, _all this thinking is making me tired_

When Neji got home, he immediately headed towards Hiashi's office. Barging in quite unexpectedly and surprising Hiashi, he stated, "Hiashi sama, I need to talk to you"

Having had nothing of import to attend to at the time, Hiashi replied, "sure"

Neji started off, "I have a long-term mission. I am afraid this will cut into my duties as branch member, I am sorry."

Slightly confused, Hiashi said the only thing on his mind at the moment, "When?"

"Tommorrow morning. Would you please arrange a replacement for Hinata while I am gone?" Neji said, getting a slightly pleading look in his eyes

"…alright. I will find a replacement tommorrow. Until then, you are expected to carry out all your duties as usual." was Hiashi's answer.

"…Very well. I thank you, Hiashi-sama; I am going to inform Hinata now." Bowing, neji walked off.

----------Scene change: a few minutes later------------------------------------------

Finding Hinata in her room, Neji knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Hinata called out from the other side of the room.

"It's me, Neji."

"Oh! Neji-niisan, come in, the door's unlocked."

"Alright." Neji entered the room.

"Yes? Have you come for something Neji?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. She couldn't figure out for the life of her why neji would be coming to her room.

"I have come to inform you that I have a long-term mission tommorrow. A new bodyguard will replace me during my absence." Neji stated. Hinata didn't know it, but Neji was struggling hard not to show any signs of sadness that he was leaving. They had become closer over the years, after Neji apologized after getting beaten in the chuunin exams all those years ago. Even Hiashi didn't know about it.

"Okay. Um, Neji, can I see you and your team off at the gates tommorrow?" Hinata asked tentatively.

Smiling, Neji turned to walk out before saying, "Sure, I would love for you to."

----------------------Tommorrow---------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata woke up especially early for today. She helped Neji pack up his clothes and weapons before they set out towards the gates together.

They arrived at the south gate early. It was a few minutes before Lee and Shikamaru arrived, however.

"GOOD MORNING MY TEAMMATE, NEJI, AND THE EVER IMMACULATELY YOUTHFUL-LOOKING HINATA!" Greeted Lee. Strangely in sync, Hinata and Neji both thought _Ouch, how in the world is he just _so_ damnably energetic in the mornings?_

Thankfully, Shikamaru's greeting was much quieter, "yawn mmf. Neji, Lee. Hinata, what're you doing here?"

Glad for the slight reprieve from Lee, Hinata replied, "I'm just here to send you off."

All Shikamaru's sleep-fuddled mind could form was an almost silent, "oh"

When the customer arrived, they conversed quickly before getting the gates open.

Hinata and the rest said their goodbyes, a chorus of, "Goodbye, all of you, and good luck!", "bye, hinata", "GOODBYE, O YOUTHFUL HINATA, AND FAREWELL TO THE REST OF KONOHA, TOO!", and "tch, how troublesome."

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Hyuuga Byakko was bored. As a branch house member with no current bodyguard duties, she had absolutely NOTHING to do. As such, she was training inside hyuuga branch house training grounds #3. She was just working up a sweat when a messenger-servant showed up and bowed.

"I have a message for you, Byakko-san" the man stated.

"Yes?" she replied, annoyed. She didn't like how these people would appear randomly at all times of the day. Seriously, it surprises people.

"Hiashi-sama wishes to see you. Please report to his room before dinner."

"Alright, you may go." She said and the messenger retreated to his quarters, waiting to be called upon once more.

As she headed towards Hiashi's room, Byakko saw hinata, the one she only knew as the too-shy-for-her-own-good heir waiting outside, looking very nervous. _What's she doing here? Hmph, bet she failed at something again and is here to get chewed out. Stupid girl, when will you finally realize that if you stop being so withdrawn, you'll finally be accepted? The Hyuuga house is all about quiet confidence and pride, isn't it obvious?_ Were her thoughts, she dismissed them quickly however and prepared to enter.

"Hyuuga Byakko, reporting." She stated.

"You may come in." was her reply. Byakko slid open the door only to find Hyuuga Hiashi, sitting in front of her at a low coffee table. He looked more serious than usual, that wasn't good.

Hiashi began to talk, "Hyuuga Byakko, I have called you here to discuss your new assignment for the next few months, maybe a year."

This peaked Byakko's interest, naturally. "Oh, what is it?"

"As Hyuuga Neji is out with his team on a long term A-rank mission, you are to replace him as hinata's bodyguard."

"That sounds fun." _Hinata hmm? Isn't she the one…_ "wait, WHAT!"

A/N: right, this is my first story and I'm trying my best, but I don't want to keep going if no one likes it. So, just for this chapter, I want at least one positive review, okay? Oh, and before I forget, I need you all to vote to see if sasuke was brought back from orochimaru or not.


	3. meeting naruto

Chapter 2 is finally up!

Disclaimer:...

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**Chapter 2**

Meeting Naruto

**Recap**

"As Hyuuga Neji is out with his team on a long term A-rank mission, you are to replace him as hinata's bodyguard."

"That sounds fun." _Hinata hmm? Isn't she the one…_ "wait, WHAT!"

**End Recap**

_Oh, that was what Hinata was there for._ Was Byakko's only thought as her mind attempted to cope with the thought of having to guard **the shyest **person in the whole hyuuga house. _Oh god, this will _not_ be fun_ she thought.

Meanwhile, rubbing his ringing ears, Hiashi replied, "Yes, you will be guarding Hinata; do you have any problems with that?" This of course was punctuated by a glare from the hyuuga leader that just screamed, "I _dare_ you to have a problem."

Byakko, somewhat intimidated, replied "N-No, of course not!"

Satisfied, Hiashi sighed, "I trust you have met my daughter before?" Byakko nodded. "Good, then you may go"

Relieved, she stepped outside to see Hinata. "How did it go?" Hinata asked, to be promptly answered with a simple, "alright"

Hinata seemed satisfied by this and motioned for Byakko to follow her. "Come with me. I have some…errands to run." Byakko nodded and followed Hinata outside the compound.

----------------------3 hours later---------------------------------------------------------------

_Dammit, where the hell did that blasted girl go? I've already checked the tower, a few restaurants, the other gear stores, and the whole market!_ Byakko thought to herself as she walked around town.

Earlier, Hinata had somehow managed to lose her while pretending to go inside a store. This pissed Byakko off extremely as she could not only get in trouble, but also that she would have botched up her first assignment. Seriously, she knew that girl would be trouble the minute she was assigned to bodyguard her.

**Flashback**

As they walked out of the house, Byakko asked, "So, where are we going?"

"Well, our first stop is the weapons store. I need to get extra kunai and shuriken." Replied Hinata.

"Oh, I see. Let's hurry, then." Byakko said before she started running.

"Huh? Hey…wait!" Hinata shouted, somewhat surprised before she started running after her.

They reached the store reasonably winded, but by no means tired. "Will you wait out here while I get my equipment?" asked Hinata.

Byakko agreed and Hinata went inside. She waited for a few minutes.

Waiting.

Waiting..

Waiting…

Finally, after half and hour, Byakko got tired of waiting. She burst inside with anger marring her features. "HINATAAA! Where in the nine levels of hell are you?" yelled the extremely angry hyuuga attendant.

Cowed, the store clerk was able to utter a strangled, "w-w-what do you want!"

"Where. Is. Hinata?" cracking her knuckles, she was scarier than the hokage herself.

"That short-haired girl? She left out the back a while ago. About twenty five minutes ago, in fact."

"WHAT!" _That stupid_ stupid_ girl. When I find her, she'll never be able to leave the compound again!_ Byakko left fuming, leaving the clerk to stew in his own juices, literally.

**End Flashback**

Having spent an hour or so searching for her, Byakko was ready to give up. _I'll check the forest and training grounds before I head home and wait for her_ And so, she did some hand seals and poofed to the entrance of the forest before walking in.

Byakko activated her Byakugan, searching the forest thoroughly for her charge. She spotted her deep in the forest about 15 meters away. She was running after her teach her a lesson until…

She saw something beautiful.

He had silky sun-blonde hair, the deepest sky-blue eyes, seemingly baby-smooth skin, and small, perfect pink lips.

Needless to say she blushed furiously; she could even give Hinata a run for her money. _What's this? I'm blushing? How the h-… never mind that. Whoever he is, he is nothing._ Despite that, he obviously meant something to Hinata, who was watching him with all her might. She seemed to be worried at the same time _probably because she thinks I'm here to take her away, which I am._ Foregoing that, she decided to find out who it was, first, for she would have to report him to Hiashi-sama. Suddenly, it sank in; _Hinata has a stalker obsession! I will definitely have to report this to Hiashi-sama. _Getting over her shock, she stepped out into the clearing, determined to find out who he was.

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Naruto was having a great week. He had few missions, which gave him time to train, and the ANBU were attempting to recruit him harder that before, which stroked his ego immensely. He would have accepted, but over the years he was able to judge his skills more accurately, and even though he was strong enough to be one, he wanted to wait until he was stronger to be a captain, like Shino (the fact that he had more free time to just lounge around and be lazy and eat ramen had nothing to do with it, of course). He had also noted that ANBU missions seemed to stretch terribly long (as noted by the fact that Shino seemed quieter than usual, though how naruto could tell no one will ever know).

At any rate, Naruto was currently training his taijutsu speed (He wanted to be as fast as Lee, dammit!) when suddenly; a girl seemed to materialize from the trees. _A hyuuga? I haven't seen her before, why is she here? Why couldn't I sense her?_ "Err…who the hell are you?" Naruto, not being the most polite or tactful person in the world, said.

"Humph. How rude." Said the girl in question, she recovered quickly, however, and proceeded with what she had planned to say, "What is your name?"

"Isn't someone supposed to give their name first before asking one of a stranger?" Naruto, annoyed by her coldness almost instantly, was quick to reply.

"Oh, yes. Then you can call me Hyuuga Byakko, of the branch house." Byakko stated. She was standing proudly, expecting to see some kind of recognition or awe from his face, if not from her name (for indeed, she was well known, at least inside the house), then from the fact that she was a Hyuuga. She was utterly disappointed when all she got was a small mocking smirk and a, "I see, my name's Uzumaki Naruto, jounin of the hidden leaf."

_His voice sounds so melodic and intoxicating! And the way he said that…no, No, NO! I can't be thinking like that. He is a lowly jounin, he is nothing to me!_ Shaking off her light blush, she continued to say, "Do you know Hyuuga Hinata?"

"Yeah, she's that shy girl in Shino's team. For some reason, she's always stuttering and fainting. Also, her face seems to always be red." Said Naruto in a skeptical tone.

"I see. What…" Byakko paused, trying to figure out how to voice her next question, "What do you think of her. Hinata, I mean."

"Well, she's pretty nice to talk to, kind of cute too. If she'd stop stuttering…wait, why are you asking" Naruto, finally getting suspicious, stared at Byakko, wanting an explanation.

Lacking one, Byakko could only come up with one course of action, "Good bye." Thus, she cut off her conversation with the blonde jounin as she rushed out of the clearing, leaving Naruto to sputter and wonder what that was all about. As Byakko ran out to grab Hinata, she could hear Naruto's indignant shouts of, "Hey! I wasn't done with you yet! Come back here! Hey!"

Reaching Hinata's tree, she grabbed her, making Hinata squeak, and poofed into the Hyuuga compound. "Hinata-san, I suggest you retire, dinner will be soon. I have to go see Hiashi-sama." Leaving it at that, Hyuuga Byakko turned on her heel and walked towards Hiashi's quarters.

---------------------------Hiashi's quarters--------------------------------------------

Byakko knocked on the door. "Hiashi-sama"

"Ah, Byakko. You may enter." Hyuuga Hiashi watched as a seemingly nervous branch-member stepped into his room. "What have you come here for?"

Bowing, Hinata's guardian proceeded with her purpose of visiting. "Do you know of Uzumaki Naruto?"

"The jinchuuriki? What about him?" Hiashi scowled. Contrary to popular belief, Hiashi did not have any prejudice towards Naruto for carrying the demon, as half the population of Konoha does. In fact, he even has a little gratitude for him for helping Neji recover. No, the reason Hiashi scowled at the fact that Naruto could have possible wormed his way into Hyuuga affairs is his inherent reliance on instincts, his disrespect to authority through pranking/acts of a delinquent, and his general aura of overwhelming joy (so much that it was really, really annoying).

Byakko, sensing his disquiet, was hesitant to continue, but persevered. "Yes, apparently Hinata seems somehow, _involved_ with Naruto."

Hiashi became curious, "Oh? How so?"

"Well, frankly, she seems to be…stalking him, sir" Byakko braced for impact.

3…

2…

1…

"WHAT!" Hiashi was genuinely surprised, due to the fact that Hinata would never speak to him about Naruto and that he generally does not travel outside the compound, he actually did not know much about many of his clan's lives.

"Yes, sir. It seems that Hinata stalks Uzumaki Naruto."

"Well, we have to do something about that. Keep a close eye on her and try to keep her away from Naruto. Also, I want her confined to the compound as much as possible excepting training sessions with her team or missions. In which case you are to follow her outside, although you won't have to worry about missions for a while, seeing as her team has been put into reserve for a while." Hiashi thought about taking more drastic measures, but conlcuded that that would suffice for the moment.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. I will be taking my leave now." So saying, Byakko left for her room.

------------------Hinata's room------------------------------------------

Hinata was worried. To be specific, she was worried about what Byakko was talking about with Hiashi. _Oh no, what could she be talking to father about? She saw me watching Naruto, could it be about that? No! If father found out, I don't even want to think about what will happen. No, he just wanted to see if I've changed my attitude or gotten stronger or something, yeah, that's it. Ohhhh, I hope Byakko doesn't tell…_

It was time for dinner and Hinata had to go. Sighing, she figured she could only wait and hope

------------Dining room---------------------------------------------

Dinner was considerably awkward for Hinata. She couldn't help but sneak peeks at her father to see if he was angry, or for any ways to tell if he knew. This led to Hiashi asking her if something was wrong, causing her to stutter. After a few minutes, the process would start all over again.

Needless to say, hinata went to bed early and hungry.

---------------Byakko's room-------------------------------------------

Byakko lay down in her bed, sleepy and tired. Staring out through her window at the moon, the last thought she had before drifting off into sleep was _tch, I knew Hinata would be troublesome to deal with. And it will only get more annoying tomorrow. What's so good about him, anyway? Why does she like him? Oh well, I'll figure out those things as well as how to get her away from Naruto later. For now, I need my sleep…_

A/N: well, how do you like it? I'll try to get chapter 3 up in about a week. plz review!


	4. New Job! Demoted to messenger!

Yo! ch. 3 is now up.

A/N: w00t! reviews! Now I feel loved, even if this is, like, the first thing I've ever written.

Disclaimer:...

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**Chapter 3**

New Job! Demoted to Messenger!

Recap:

Byakko lay down in her bed, sleepy and tired. Staring out through her window at the moon, the last thought she had before drifting off into sleep was _tch, I knew Hinata would be troublesome to deal with. And it will only get more annoying tomorrow. What's so good about him, anyway? Why does she like him? Oh well, I'll figure out those things as well as how to get her away from Naruto later. For now, I need my sleep…_

End Recap:

The next day, Byakko woke up early to find Hinata and accompany her to the dining hall. Arriving at her room, she waited outside for Hinata to exit her room. Apparently, she was still sleeping, for it was another twenty minutes until Byakko heard moving in the room. She spent ten minutes cursing her bad luck (Shit, I could have been sleeping, dammit!) until Hinata finally emerged from her room.

They both got their morning greetings out of the way before starting to walk towards the dining hall. Before a small cloud of silence could settle over them, Byakko decided to start a conversation by notifying her of Hiashi's decision. "Hiashi-sama wants you to stay inside the compound for a while."

Hinata looked shocked, "What, why!" _It can't be, she really did tell father! NO! How will I be able to see Naruto-kun now? I still need to tell him how I feel!_

Seeing her reaction to that small news, and fearing a possibly bigger reaction to the reason, Byakko decided to lie, "I don't know, Hiashi-sama did not specify. It might be because it's easier to guard you in here or that he might want to give you a little provisional training."

At that, Hinata looked a little relieved, though sad that her father still thought her sub par for her level. Hinata suddenly perked up, "Ummm…Byakko-san?"

Curious at what Hinata wanted now, the bodyguard replied, "Yes?"

"W-would you do me a small favor?" Hinata started folding into herself at the thought of her request, looking extremely shy and nervous.

At the sight of the heir's actions, Byakko became intrigued, "What would you have me do?"

"C-c-could you p-please give N-Naruto-kun a m-message f-for me?"

Byakko instantly adopted an annoyed expression on her face instead of the amused one from before, "…No."

"But, w-why not?" Hinata's eyes, already almost comically big were growing teary as well.

"Because he annoys me and…and…awww, fine." The combined force of Hinata's teary face and the fact that he couldn't find a sufficient answer other that gut feeling caused Byakko to cave.

"Thank you!" Hinata said, the gratitude was practically oozing off of her face, "Can you ask him to meet me by the lake near training ground 6 at 7:30 tonight?"

"Yeah, yeah, go eat breakfast and talk to Hiashi-sama about your training while I go deliver your message. I'll see you later." Byakko walked off, waving a dismissive hand at Hinata.

"Yeah, okay! Remember, 7:30 tonight! Thanks again!" Walking into the dining room, Hinata seemed happy, _too_ happy. In fact, considering that she was still confined to the compound, one might think the heiress had become delirious.

As Byakko walked off, she was wearing a small, disquieted expression on her face. Her choice of facial expression could have been explained by the fact that all the way until she went through the gates, she was thinking _Crap, what have I gotten myself into? I knew that this assignment would be trouble, all the signs point to it…_

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Byakko thought that, since he was there last time, she would check the training areas first. When she didn't find him, she came up with the conclusion that it would have been foolish to think he'd be at the same place all day and started to walk around town.

She finally found him outside that ramen bar, Ichiraku's. It seemed that he was finishing up his fourteenth bowl and on his way to his fifteenth. _How the hell does he eat all that? Shit, he's like a bottomless pit. He's lucky that ramen is so cheap._

Walking to the bar and taking a seat next to Naruto, Byakko herself ordered a pork ramen. Naruto noticed movement and stopped stuffing himself for a moment to face Byakko. Naruto was confused as to why she was there, and could only muster a weak, "…Hello…"

"Hey. Err…I need to give you a message from Hinata."

"Alright, what is it?" Naruto was looking very curious at that point. He also wanted to get it over with so she could leave and he could continue with finishing his daily 15 bowls of ramen.

"She wants you to meet with her at the lake near training ground 6 at 7:30 tonight." Byakko didn't know why, but she was feeling nervous as she was saying that, like something bad would happen. Either way, she just wanted to confirm that Naruto understood what she said so she could leave; the nervous feeling was disturbing to her.

"…Did she tell you why?" Naruto asked.

"No, she didn't. Just…just meet her, okay?" Byakko could tell that Hinata would have been deeply hurt if Naruto didn't come, so she was trying to convince him while trying to shorten conversation, which was easier said than done.

Naruto sighed, "Sure. Just one more question, though. Why couldn't she have come here herself?"

"Hinata? Because she was confined to the grounds for an indefinite period of time."

Naruto was at greatly shocked at the misfortune of his friend, and it showed. It showed greatly, and it made Byakko's heart skip a beat. She gasped and felt like she was losing herself in the sheer amount of feeling and emotion those eyes could show.

Then, Naruto's eyes hardened as he replied with a short, "I see. Thanks for telling me, good bye"

Byakko was still trying to regain control of herself as Naruto was saying his farewell and it wasn't until almost a minute until she stirred and muttered a small, "bye" before she left as well. _What the hell was that feeling? I felt so…so…I can't describe how I felt. Was it because of **him**? Because of **Naruto**? …It can't be. Either way, I should not think of this again. For the pride of the hyuuga, I have other things to attend to._

---------------------With Naruto-----------------------------------------------------

_So, Hinata is confined to her house? Tch, I always knew those hyuugas were hard asses. Dammit, what did she do this time? Should I get some help? Maybe Kiba and Shino…_ Naruto walked down the street, wondering what to do about Hinata. For sure, he was worried about her, she was a friend, and there was nothing Uzumaki Naruto cared for more than his friends and family.

Unable to think up a proper plan of action at the moment, he decided to wait and see Hinata tonight before seeing what kind of action needed to be taken. Still, he wanted to alert Kiba and Shino before setting off.

Reaching Shino's estate first, he walked through the pathways and to Shino's house. Reaching up, he rang the gate's bell. Before it was answered, Naruto took the time to look around. Shino's estate was quite big, though only about two-thirds that of the hyuuga's clan grounds. It was built rather Spartan, with simple traditional Japanese buildings and a wealth of trees (probably to support their multitudes of bugs). The place had clear pathways and the buildings were more boxlike than others, and as always, it was incredibly silent.

The gates were opened by none other than Shino's father, Shibi. Shibi was probably surprised by Naruto's presence, but it didn't show due to his jacket.

"…" Shibi said. As far as Naruto could tell, he wanted to know what Naruto wanted.

"Err…I'm here to see Shino." Naruto sweatdropped _Why are they all so quiet? It disturbs people._

Shibi silently turned around and walked into the house, a minute later, Shino appeared.

"…Yes?" Shino asked in…ummmm…confusion?

Naruto was feeling quite uncomfortable under Shino's scrutinizing and unwavering gaze (stare? You can't really tell with those glasses, anyway), "err…yeah. I came here to tell you that Hinata is being confined inside her house and she told me to meet with her tonight. So I thought you might want to come with me to see how she's doing and discuss what to do or something?"

"…I see. Where are you meeting?" Shino asked. His eyebrows were actually FURROWING together in…anger? No, frustration? Err…yeah.

"7:30, the lake behind training ground 6" Naruto was quick to divulge the information.

"I will meet you there." With that, Shino walked back into the house.

----------------------Kiba's house----------------------------------------------

While waiting for Kiba to answer the doorbell, Naruto amused himself by comparing Shino's and Kiba's clan estates. While Shino's was big, simplistic, and forested, Kiba's had large fields and a few, somewhat old houses. Kiba's family was one of the smallest clans in Konoha, only having his family and his two uncle's families. This normally wouldn't take too much space to accommodate, but two out of their five houses were for their massive family of dogs, which were also the reason why they had such large fields. Watching the dogs play, Naruto was surprised when the door opened and Kiba came out shouting, "Yo! Naruto!"

"Hey Kiba!" Naruto shouted his greetings.

Insert awkward pause here

"So…what're you doing here?" Kiba asked. He was obviously searching around for topics, desperate to break the silence.

Naruto, who actually forgot until now, piped up, "Oh yeah! I came here to tell you that Hinata is being held inside her own house. I have a meeting with her tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Kiba was shocked, "Hinata! Sure I'll go! When is it?"

"Tonight. 7:30. Lake behind training ground 6" Naruto replied before rushing off to god-knows-where to get ready for tonight.

----------------With Hinata-----------------------------------------------------

Hinata finished dinner early and was stealthily walking toward her planned meeting place, carefully stepping lightly so as to not attract any other hyuugas. _I must get to the meeting place quick. Naruto-kun is waiting for me there! Yes! Now is the time to confess my love!_ Hinata was almost bursting with anticipation and pleasure at that thought, and redoubled her efforts to get there quickly.

When Hinata finally reached the meeting place, she was immediately surprised. After the moment of surprise was over, she became angry, but due to her nice disposition, that quickly phased over into sadness and disappointment. Why the disappointment? Apparently Naruto brought Shino and Kiba with him. It's not that Hinata didn't like them or didn't want to see or talk to them, but she really hoped to be alone with Naruto for this. _Ohhhh, now what do I do? I won't be able to confess to Naruto with other people around!_

Noticing Hinata's rapidly changing facial expressions, Kiba decided to speak up, "Oi, Hinata, you alright?"

Hinata quickly schooled her face into what she hoped was a small, convincing smile, "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you all for coming."

"It's alright. We all wanted to come anyway, right guys?" Naruto looked towards his companions for support.

"Right!" said Kiba, Shino just nodded.

"Now, on to what we came here for. Hinata, are you doing all right in your house?" Naruto had a concerned look on his face, as did Kiba. Shino just sat there hoping to spread the feeling of companionship through his presence.

"Y-yes, I'm doing fine, although it gets boring being stuck at home all day. I'm glad to be able to talk to you guys out here; it's the first time I've been outside all day." Hinata replied, allowing a soft smile to grace her features. She was still sad about not being able to see Naruto alone, but was trying to take solace in the fact that they cared.

Kiba blushed a little at this, but his little moment was completely interrupted by Naruto, who was overreacting completely. "Did you hear that guys! Hinata's feeling really bored! We have to get her out of there!"

Shino, always one to state the obvious, said, "…Naruto, you are completely overreacting."

This, of course, perfectly and completely disrupted Naruto's momentum, causing him to shrink into the background with his head lowering in shame at his lack of restraint. "I agree though," said Kiba, "We shouldn't leave Hinata in there to rot."

"You gu-"Hinata started, but was quickly interrupted by none other than…SHINO.

"Yes, we should definitely create a plan of action. However, how would we keep her out of their reach?" Shino questioned.

"Wai-"Hinata was once again cut off before she could get a word in edgewise. This time, however, it was Naruto that talked.

"We should hide her in this small house I found out in the woods, and she would be able to get out whenever she wanted as long as she avoids the hyuugas." Said Naruto, joining in enthusiastically.

"No, sto-"Hinata was starting to get annoyed at not being able to speak; you could literally _see_ her face scrunching up.

"Yeah! Now, how do we actually get her out of there?" Kiba agreed, giddy at the prospect of saving Hinata.

"Let's see, maybe we cou-"Naruto was suddenly cut off as Hinata, who by now was red in the face.

"STOP IT!" The guys looked at her, dumbfounded at her volume, as Hinata continued on, "You guys don't need to plan anything. I'm okay staying inside the compound. Plus, what if you all get caught?" Hinata had a worried look on her face after she said that, and the guys looked at her, at a loss about why she wouldn't want to be rescued.

Naruto was the first to speak up, "But Hinata, we-"

"Please, what if you get caught? I just don't want you to get hurt." Hinata hung her head down and clutched her hands to her chest. She looked like she was starting to cry.

Kiba's face softened before he spoke, "Alright Hinata, you should get home, it's getting late. Let's discuss this some other time, 'kay?"

Hinata nodded and left, leaving the boys to themselves.

-----------------------------Hyuuga complex-------------------------------------

Hyuuga Hiashi was waiting in the front garden for Hinata. He knew that she snuck out around ten minutes ago because he had been following her through most of the day with his byakugan. What did he plan to do? He wanted to find out what exactly she was doing outside and mete out appropriate punishment.

So, when Hinata finally snuck through the front gates ten minutes later, he was there to call out to her, "Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata immediately froze and turned her head towards him, "Yes, father?" she said in a shaky voice.

"What have you been doing? I know you snuck out earlier." Hiashi plainly stated, patiently waiting for Hinata to fill him in.

"Oh, ummm…I…was…eating out?" Hinata knew this was pathetic excuse and that her father would see through it instantly, but she hoped nonetheless.

"You were meeting your friends, weren't you? To try to get away?" Hiashi was bluffing, but he had so much experience at that that none of it showed.

Hinata looked downcast, "Yes…father."

Hiashi sighed, _she fell for it...Oh well, at the very least I know what happened_ "Hinata, because you are my daughter, I will give you a warning. However, next time you will meet consequences. I will not have my daughter breaking the rules."

After a quick, "Yes father.", Hinata hurried away to her room.

------------Hallways-------------------------------------------------

_Oh, no. What will I do? Father is too good, much better than me, I won't be able to sneak out again. How will I be able to tell them? …I wonder if I can get Byakko to be messenger again?_ With these thoughts and other future plans, Hinata opened the door to her room and prepared to go to sleep.

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A/N: so? how do you like it? Please review and make suggestions. 


	5. The one where the two bond

So, I finally got off my lazy ass to finish the fourth chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer:

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**Chapter 4**

The one where the two bond

Recap:

_Oh, no. What will I do? Father is too good, much better than me, I won't be able to sneak out again. How will I be able to tell them? …I wonder if I can get Byakko to be messenger again?_ With these thoughts and other future plans, Hinata opened the door to her room and prepared to go to sleep.

End recap:

Hinata was again walking with Byakko to breakfast, attempting to convince her to play messenger. Byakko, at first said, "No! never again!", but she was slowly worn down by Hinata's generous use of her patented **chibi puppy-dog eyes.**

So, over the next few weeks, Byakko repeatedly ended up passing on messages to Naruto. Until one day, he said those fateful words, "Hey, Byakko, want to eat ramen with me?"

Byakko was surprised, "What, why?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head before replying, "Well, because…you know, you've been the messenger for a while now and if you're gonna keep doing that, I think we should get to know each other."

That was how Byakko winded up at the Ichiraku ramen bar, watching Naruto eat his ramen and too disgusted by the sheer amount of consuming that she lost her own appetite. So she sat there, asking herself one thing: _What in the world drove me to say yes?_

Byakko was shaken out of her thoughts as Naruto spoke, "So, tell me about yourself."

"My name is Hyuuga Byakko and I am of the branch house. I am very skilled in the jyuuken." Byakko automatically replied.

"Was that a pre-made answer or something? What about your likes, dislikes, or hobbies?" Naruto looked at her, incredulous at her lack of personality. _Maybe it's just a hyuuga thing, with their pride and all?_ Naruto wondered to himself.

Byakko replied hesitantly, as she really hadn't thought about it before, "I…like…hyuuga stuff…I guess. I dislike those who annoy me, and my hobby is…training…"

Naruto scratched his head and sighed, "Man, you're even worse than Kakashi. At least he was just hiding it. It seems you _actually _don't know."

Byakko was offended, but knew he had a point, so she kept quiet. "Anyway," Naruto said, "Let's go do something. Say…a walk?"

Byakko was _going_ to say no, but it seemed Naruto knew what she was going to say and put on those _infernal_ puppy eyes of his. Byakko sighed, "Fine" _Damn, he's good. Did he teach Hinata?_

"Yay! Come on, let's go!" Naruto hopped off his stool and grabbed Byakko's hand before rushing off towards the forest/park.

Byakko counted herself lucky that Naruto was too focused on their destination to notice her. Why, you ask? She had a light, but noticeable blush on her face (you see, even if she is more tanned than most hyuugas due to her excess of training, her skin is still considerably lighter than the villagers). While trying to pound down her blush, all she could think was _his hands are sooo warm they're also smooth and rough at the same time, like his whole hand is covered in calluses…he must have trained a lot… No, I can't be having these thoughts, they are unbefitting of a hyuuga, they are why Hinata is weak! Why is it he makes me lose composure whenever he is near? I'll have to put a stop to that somehow…but his hands are sooo warm_ (repeat process)

Fortunately, she was snapped out of her musings when Naruto shouted, "We're here!" They were on top of the Hokage Mountain, specifically on the back to the second's head.

Byakko was confused, "Where are we?" she asked, having no idea what they were doing on top of the Hokage Mountain. _What could possibly be on top of the Hokage Mountain? It's all rock, anyway. If he wanted to show me the view, there are a lot of better places to do it, too_

"It's a secret, Byakko-chan! Now come on, it's just back here!" Naruto was now shouting and jumping to get Byakko's attention from a few meters down the head.

Meanwhile, Byakko was confused and somewhat mad _CHAN! Where the hell did that come from! Seriously, he needs to be way more polite, we're not even that close…are we?_ Walking somewhat mindlessly down to where Naruto is, she managed to get her thoughts together before Naruto could tell something was wrong

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were standing in front of an enormous cave, or tunnel…it was too hard to tell. "What is this doing here? How did you discover it?" Byakko, skeptical about this whole thing, was staring at the cave with a guarded look on her face, "There…aren't any monsters or poison or demons in there…are there?"

"Naw, of course not! Now come on, what I want to show you is inside!" Naruto, saying this with a carefree face before walking inside. After a while, he noticed Byakko wasn't coming, "Hey, Byakko, aren't you coming?"

"No, I don't want to go in there…" Byakko, obviously untrusting of the mysterious cave, turned around…

…That is…until Naruto came running back out of the cave, yelling, "Nonsense, it'll be fantastic! Just like spelunking!" (Naruto…it is spelunking…idiot --;) before clamping down firmly on her wrist and dragging her inside, giving her just enough time to utter a small 'eep!' in surprise before getting dragged into the darkness of the cave.

It took a while before Byakko gave up, and they were already quite far inside already. So, she ended up walking with Naruto anyway. And, contrary to her thinking, it actually wasn't that bad.

"Eh…sorry about this, Byakko-chan, I said it would be a walk, but I lied, didn't I?" Naruto said sheepishly.

Byakko scoffed, turning her head away, "Idiot, it's not like I care…"

"Oh!" Naruto said, making Byakko jump, "We're here!"

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They were inside a HUGE cavern inside the tunnel. Not only was it huge, but it was extremely breathtaking as well. It should have been dark, but it was lit by countless mushrooms, glowing ethereal blue and painting a magnificent scene across the rooftops and along the walls. Not only that, but the rock was smooth and there was a lake in the middle, which was glowing as well because there were mushrooms in the floor of the lake as well. Byakko stared in wonder as she watched white butterflies flutter around in the air, their wings reflecting the glow of the mushrooms while small fish were eating minnows that were trapped on the water's surface.

"So, how do you like it?" Naruto asked, looking at Byakko's wonder-filled face. _The way the light reflects off of her face…beautiful…_

"It's…too perfect for words…where did you find such a place?" All through her sentence, Byakko was starring at the scene in awe, her eyes glittering in fascination.

"When I was little, I…had a lot of free time, so I'd come up here to just think. That's how I noticed this cave here that was eroded out of the many times it rained. Apparently, all the rain collected into that lake. I was the one that put the fish there, caught them from the streams myself. That way, when everyone thinks I'm just staring at the city at the top of the mountains, I'm actually down here, thinking and…well…eating fish." Naruto stated simply.

Byakko could tell he was hiding something, he seemed uneasy when explaining that he had 'free time', and that was only amplified in her white eyes. She was about to ask, but reminded herself that it was none of her business and just nodded, accepting his explanation.

Naruto let go of a small sigh, and went to catch some fish while Byakko sat down, enjoying the scenery. They enjoyed a few minutes of silence until…

"Hey, Byakko, can I ask you a question?" Naruto caught two fish and brought them back before starting a fire with a few branches that he brought from outside.

"What? Oh, yeah, it's O.K." Byakko replied as she watched Naruto work. He seemed to be very skilled at it and she idly wondered how many times he had had to do that in missions to get so proficient.

"Why aren't you a ninja?"

Byakko paused at this, she didn't know any answer that would have seemed valid, and so she chose the only one she could think of, "I was never enrolled in the ninja academy."

Naruto pressed further, "But, why did you never go to the academy? Hinata did, Neji did, hell, even Hanabi went."

"Well, it was just thought by my parents that it would have been a waste of time for me to become a ninja, and my time would have been better spent training for my duties as a hyuuga branch member. I was young, and didn't think to oppose them; missing out on being a ninja didn't seem that bad." Byakko explained. She seemed somewhat unsure of herself, however.

"I see…" So saying, Naruto lapsed into thought

"Why did you want to know?" Byakko asked after waiting a while.

"Well, I've always thought that if you had the capabilities of a ninja you should be one, so it struck me as odd that you didn't have a headband. I mean, you're skilled at taijutsu and can beat a few jounins in stealth, so I just started wondering." Naruto was finished skinning the fish and now was cooking them over the small fire.

"Oh" The two fell into reasonably companionable silence as the fish cooked and Byakko became more and more comfortable with Naruto. Eventually, the fish was ready to eat, and as they consumed their meal they started chatting about nothing important. But to those two, whether they knew it or not that conversation started the relationship that would become beautiful, encompassing everything and nothing at once, and seeming tangible and corporeal at the same time. The kind of love that achieves something to that effect is something that only comes once every few centuries and thus should be treasured for a lifetime. Only time will tell if this will withstand all the tests and hardships that are bound to follow things as great as this.

--------------------------That night/ Byakko's room---------------------------------

Byakko turned off the light in her room and fell asleep, unknowing of the future that could mean her happiness, or her misery. All she was thinking of when she fell asleep was how enjoyable the day was, and hoping that it could happen again, that the next day would bring something greater.

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A/N: The next chapter might not be up for a while, just a heads up. When it is, I'll be starting a poll as well.

Did you like it? then plz review! I am also welcoming all suggestions.


	6. new missions, new secrets, and new hopes

I finally got off my lazy ass to write...chapter 5! I hope you enjoy

noticed a plot hole and fixed it... 

Disclaimer:

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Chapter 5

New missions, new secrets, and new hopes

Recap:

Byakko turned off the light in her room and fell asleep, unknowing of the future that could mean her happiness, or her misery. All she was thinking of when she fell asleep was how enjoyable the day was, and hoping that it could happen again, that the next day would bring something greater.

End Recap:

A mysterious figure, dressed in red and olive green, ran through the forest with all the speed of a cheetah. His white hair, spiky and untamed, practically billowed out behind him as he jumped from tree to tree. By now, it should be apparent that this person had something important to attend to, what with him running around like a madman. However, he was not a madman, but a man with a mission; and this mission soon became apparent as he approached the gates of konohagakure no sato.

In too much of a hurry to bother with customs, he jumped over the gates in a blur before any of the chuunin guards could react, only leaving behind a single note, reading 'Urgent business, gone to see the Hokage. –Jiraiya'

Upon reaching the Hokage's office, the man now recognized as Jiraiya jumped in through the window, shaving off precious seconds. However, much to his dismay, the current Hokage, Tsunade, was fast asleep, using her paperwork as a makeshift pillow.

Now, Jiraiya was at an impasse. He knew that any conventional means of waking her up would result only in a severe concussion and several hours of wasted time, but any unconventional means could possibly take up more time that he had anyway. What was he to do? Using his 'ungodly powerful brain' as he often called it (conceited, no?), he quickly thought up an alternate plan. "And the genius creator of Icha Icha Paradise does it again!" he mumbled to himself in praise. Quickly, he took out an egg timer he conveniently happened to have stored in his pocket (for when he was cooking, not that he ever had anything other than fried fish while camping in the wilderness) and set the timer for 2 seconds. Quickly backing to the doorframe, he watched in amusement.

The reaction was instantaneous. The second that timer went off, Tsunade's fist punched the airspace that would have been exactly level with Jiraiya's nose had it been in front of her desk, where she apparently expected it to be. Looking up groggily, Tsunade spotted Jiraiya and immediately woke up, an annoyed expression plastered all over her face, only magnified at the fact that a certain _somebody_ hadn't been in front of her desk to receive her 'ever loving' punch. "What is it?" Tsunade inquired in a flat voice.

"News," Jiraiya replied, "about Orochimaru and Sasuke."

Tsunade exploded, "WHAT!" After calming down for a few seconds, Tsunade continued, "Tell me. NOW."

"It appears that Orochimaru, after all these years, has finally grown tired of waiting for Sasuke to kill Itachi. I expect that he will be taking Sasuke's body any day now."

"Shit! This is bad…" Tsunade crossed her fingers and rested her chin on them, she was thinking deeply, "We can't let this happen, we have to stop him."

"I know Tsunade that's why I came here to inform you." Jiraiya was looking deathly serious, despite his usual demeanor.

Stumped, Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, "So, what do you suggest we do?"

"We should send an insurgence squad to infiltrate his headquarters and take back Sasuke. It would also be preferable if we could kill Orochimaru as well. Also, it would probably be best if Naruto was one of these people, he did make that promise eight years ago and…well…you know how he is." Jiraiya answered quickly, it appeared as if he had thought of this previously. "Oh, and before I forget, I was not able to discover Orochimaru's hideout, but I have confirmed that some of his men will be at a bar in Lightning to work out a deal of some kind. If we could pose as the second party, we might be able to get the information out of them."

Tsunade, done thinking, said, "Yes, that will do nicely. SHINSETSU!"

An ANBU with a tengu (you know, like those oni masks with the huge noses) facemask immediately walked in, "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" If he was surprised at Jiraiya's presence, he certainly did not show it.

"Find Naruto and bring him to me, NOW."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama." The ANBU then proceeded to make some hand seals and poofed out of the office.

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Meanwhile, Naruto and Byakko had by now configured themselves something resembling a routine. Byakko would wake up, get her daily message from Hinata (expressing wishes to see him and telling him that she has something 'personal' to tell him, assuring him that she'll get out soon, and so on.), go and find Naruto at Ichiraku's, tell him the message, and spend the rest of the day until dinner inside the cave (and every once in a while they would go to someplace else, like the park) talking and having fun. They had grown closer over the period of these interactions and Byakko found it harder and harder for her to stay distant and aloof as Hyuuga tradition told her to do. She found her self caring for, and, in extreme cases, even starting to _love_ him, although she thought that was a bit extreme to say just yet.

They had just met at Ichiraku's and were walking out together when an ANBU with a tengu facemask poofed in front of them. Not one for words or for subtlety, Shinsetsu immediately spoke, "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you. It is most likely urgent, please come with me immediately."

Naruto didn't even have time to respond as he was immediately pulled into the grasp of the ANBU as he poofed away into the Hokage's office. Suddenly alone, Byakko left for home, disappointed that she couldn't spend the day with Naruto. As much as she tried to calm herself, all that ran through her mind on her way home was _Naruto-kun…I hope he's alright…_

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Inside Tsunade's office, Naruto and the ANBU have just arrived. Standing up, Naruto took a second to get his bearings straight. Afterwards, noticing Tsunade and Jiraiya waiting there for him, he was about to 'lodge a complaint' (a.k.a: yelling at them like there's no tomorrow) when Tsunade cut him off.

"Naruto, I have a mission for you." Tsunade said.

This made Naruto pause for a second, taking in the information. When it was all processed, his face immediately lit up, "A mission! Awesome! What is it! What is it! What is it!" He exclaimed.

Massaging her temples while waiting for the ringing in her ears to quiet down, Tsunade started to explain the details of his mission, "Apparently, Orochimaru has grown tired of waiting for Sasuke to kill Itachi." At the mention of Orochimaru, Naruto suddenly put on a deadly serious face. Frowning to show that he understood the gravity of this mission. Tsunade, pleased, continued on, "So, we cannot put this off any longer. Naruto, you have grown strong enough, and now I entrust you with the mission to go and retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. You may pick any three men to go with you, provided I think they are strong enough. Jiraiya has not yet discovered their whereabouts, but he has found out about one of his contacts, intercept his associate, take his place, and interrogate his messengers."

"Understood" Naruto saluted and proceeded to request his team, "I request ANBU captain Aburame Shino, jounin Tenten, and hunter nin Inuzuka Kiba to be my teammates."

"Your request is granted. However, I will also be assigning medic nin Haruno Sakura to your team as well. She will be shadowing you in case you get injured, but will not directly participate in battle." Tsunade stated. She wasn't giving Naruto a choice, as she didn't want to see him hurt or killed.

"Alright. When do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"I'll call them up and tell them as well. You have the next one and a half hours to pack up before you meet your team at the south gate. Dismissed."

Naruto nodded and poofed out of the office. After he left, Tsunade called Shinsetsu back in to rally the squad the Naruto chose.

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An hour and a half later, Naruto met up with his teammates at the southern gate. "Yo! Shino, Kiba, Tenten!" Naruto greeted jovially.

"Yo, Naruto! So, we're gonna hunt that bastard Sasuke down again, are we? You did good picking me, Akamaru and I will find him in no time flat!" Kiba exclaimed

"Hey, Naruto. Are you ready for our mission?" Tenten greeted, though less enthusiastically than Kiba. Meanwhile, Shino, being the cool person that he is, just nodded.

After exchanging their greetings, the gate opened up. With a, "Everybody ready? LET'S GO!" by Naruto and Kiba, they walked out of the gates with confidence.

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In case any of you were wondering, katars are basically small blades attached to a structure that attaches to your wrists.

read and review!


	7. interception

I originally got started on this first, but TAWG ended up being finished first...the world has its mysteries...

**disclaimer:

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Chapter 6

Interception!

Recap:

_An hour and a half later, Naruto met up with his teammates at the southern gate. "Yo! Shino, Kiba, Tenten!" Naruto greeted jovially._

_"Yo, Naruto! So, we're gonna hunt that bastard Sasuke down again, are we? You did good picking me, Akamaru and I will find him in no time flat!" Kiba exclaimed_

_"Hey, Naruto. Are you ready for our mission?" Tenten greeted, though less enthusiastically than Kiba. Meanwhile, Shino, being the cool person that he is, just nodded._

_After exchanging their greetings, the gate opened up. With a, "Everybody ready? LET'S GO!" by Naruto and Kiba, they walked out of the gates with confidence._

End Recap:

Shino, Naruto, Tenten, and Kiba had been traveling for hours now. The motley team had been quiet the whole time, preferring to not alert nearby travelers and concentrate on the mission at hand. As bright afternoon shifted into shady, late evening, the team decided to stop for the night. "Why are we stopping now? I can still go on!" Kiba asked.

"It will soon get too dark to see, and I don't think the rest of us trust your nose to guide us in the dark. It's good for tracking, but to lead us through obstacles is not a job for your nose." Shino stated

After the rest of the team's eyes retreated back to their sockets and they recovered from their collective shock caused by such a long sentence being uttered by Shino, Kiba retaliated, "Shino…that flat tone…that matter-of-fact attitude…it makes me sick!" Rushing toward Shino with his arm pulled back, Kiba tried to deck Shino. However, before he could, he was stopped by Naruto, who had the scruff of his neck in a strong hold. All the while, Tenten could only stand there, watching and hoping for the best.

Akamaru was hanging back, growling at Naruto to let his master go. Kiba himself was writhing in his grip, yelling, "Akamaru! Don't just stand there, help!"

At that point, Naruto had let Kiba go, saying, "This is no time to fight amongst yourselves. We must discuss our plan of action. We will be there by midday tomorrow and will only have a day to get it straight there. We better take advantage of whatever time we have and get rid of any flaws."

Kiba was still fuming about being told off as well as Shino's "insult" about the abilities of his nose, and accordingly huffed and sat down with Akamaru a bit away from the group, but still within earshot. Meanwhile, nodding, Shino and Tenten sat down next to Naruto beside a tiny glowing lamp, "Yes, you are the team leader. What should we do?" Shino asked.

Taking out a small black booklet (Naruto was forgetful, so he wrote down the most important notes in a book of his hidden inside his jacket), Naruto started to work out a plan, "So, we're supposed to meet them at Morishita's teashop, right?" Shino nodded, so Naruto continued, "Konoha already captured the actual men; I have their pictures here, along with any personal belongings and background information, in case of a password or other failsafe. I will assume the role of one Sakoshi Kisetsu." Naruto held up a picture of a light brown haired man with a short, relatively smooth hairdo and spiky bangs in the front. He was of a thin build but had only average height; he seemed to be around 25. His eyes were green and a bit small, while he was wearing a plain purple tunic with brown pants that have no pockets.

Naruto continued, "Next, Shino, you will be Kamori Shinsei. Here is your picture and information." Shino quietly reached out and grabbed the proffered package. Shinsei was a 30-year-old man with matt black hair that was long and extremely messy. He was a thickset man, only slightly taller than Kisetsu with deep, brown eyes. He wore a deep blue shirt with a black jacket that had a yellow shenlong dragon imprinted into the back. His pants had no pockets as well, but were a forest green.

"Tenten, you are Hatekami Akane. Here's your stuff." Tenten eagerly grabbed her package, trying to forget what just happened, they were calming down and she was hoping that they wouldn't start up again. Akane, apparently, was a petite girl of around 20 with short black hair and brown eyes. She was very plain in appearance, only further supported by the solid brown sundress that she wore.

"Lastly, Kiba" At this, Naruto smiled mischievously, "You will be Furahashi Michiru. Come over here and receive you information." Kiba was shocked at first, then extremely annoyed. Nevertheless, he was able to contain himself and quietly walk over to get his information. Naruto was grinning like the fox he was the whole time as Kiba walked over and snatched the package out of his hands. Apparently, Michiru was a voluptuous (though not as much as Anko or Kurenai) woman who was at least 18 with green hair and yellow eyes that wore a two-piece red dress _she probably dyed her hair and put on contacts. Humph, shallow_ Kiba though as he looked at the flirtatious look that she was wearing in the picture. Before he could stew on it longer, however, Naruto interrupted the silence once more.

"The packages I gave you only have their personal belongings and papers with background information. There are no clothes in there so you can't just pass it off with a partial genjutsu. You are to store the effects somewhere safe and burn the papers after you memorize them." Naruto told them.

Nodding, Shino, Tenten and Kiba put the packages behind them, ready to assemble a plan of action. "Ummm…I can't think of anything. How about you guys?" Naruto said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. And there goes the charged atmosphere…

The other three just sweatdropped and Naruto coughed, "Yeah, well…anyway, forget I said that. You know what? Screw the plan. Let's just wing it."

At that, Kiba just shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?" While Shino just nodded. Their 'planning' done, they turned into their respective corners for the night, trying to commit their roles to memory.

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_**6 hours ago, in Konoha**_

Byakko was walking around, searching for Naruto. She had expected him to meet with her later at their usual spot in the cave, but when he didn't come, she became worried. Thus she was walking around the street, trying to find a place where Naruto might be hanging out, so she could smack him once upside the head for leaving her.

She hadn't found anything for like, two hours, and she was getting frustrated. Suddenly, she had an idea! _Maybe…maybe Naruto's waiting back at the compound for me_ she thought _or she could have gone to speak to Hinata, she is still at the house…_for some inexplicable reason, that thought made her extremely sad. _What's this? Could I actually lo- no, care for Naruto this much? It can't be…but this feeling, how do I explain it? It could be a cold…_ continuing on that train of thought, Byakko continued towards her house.

Opening the gates, Byakko made a beeline for Hinata's room. She slid the door open fast, creating a loud banging sound. Startled, Hinata looked up from her table, "What is it, Byakko-san?"

"Hinata, have you seen Naruto?"

Hinata shook her head, "No, he went out on a mission."

Byakko looked a little…surprised? "Oh, I see. How did you find out?" _Damn_ she thought _why didn't I think of that! He's a shinobi!_ She continued her mental berating, not paying attention to Hinata, who had a pondering look on her face.

_Of course I would know! He's my Naruto-kun, I know about everything that happens to him! I've been…depressed about his departure for a while now! _"Oh" she answered, "She answered, breaking Byakko out of her thoughts, "Shino and Kiba dropped by a few hours ago, saying that they were going on a mission with him." She lied (she knew they were going on the mission because she saw them through her byakugan, which she had been training for just such an occasion). Now, Hinata had thought that she and Byakko had become closer over the weeks they had spent together, and would like to have had faith in her, but she couldn't help but think _Why did she ask?_ So, she voiced her question, "Why did you want to know"

Now, Byakko was definitely surprised, but only a little, "Oh, no reason. It was just strange not to see him at the ramen stand is all." As she exited the room, Hinata was thinking _could she have…feelings for him? No, that can't be, she hardly even knows him!_ Chuckling to herself at such a silly thought, she continued letting Naruto permeate her thoughts like she had been before Byakko had interrupted.

Outside, Byakko was wandering around, searching for something to occupy the rest of her day with when a roaming thought flew into her head _I wonder if I should become a ninja, so I can go with Naruto on missions?_

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The next morning, Naruto and his team left, three packets still burning behind them in the campsite. They made it to the town just after noon. Finding the nearest decent hotel, they checked in. Dropping their packs and meeting Tenten outside, Kiba draped his arms around Shino and Naruto's necks and shouted, "Right! Let's go take a soak in the hot springs before we go to find the teashop!"

He was immediately shot down by Shino, "There are no hot springs in this hotel."

Kiba stood there for a second, dumbfounded, before scoffing and saying, "I knew that…"

So, instead, the gang walked down the street, looking for stuff to do while searching for the teashop. Apparently, this town was a very boring place; the market was small, the theaters didn't have any movies of interest and there were no arcades.

Fortunately, they eventually found the teashop they were looking for in the outskirts on the other end of town. Splitting up, the assumed their disguises and scouted the area. Naruto walked inside while Shino, Tenten and Kiba took the right and left sides of the buildings respectively.

Inside the shop, Naruto wasn't having any luck in his search. Aside from finding the best vantage point inside the building, there simply wasn't anything else that could be used in benefit for the mission.

Outside, however, the other two of the team was having much better fortune. They found few traps, all of which were easily disarmed. However, they themselves could not find a location to plant their own traps, for they would be easily detected in the flat ground, just like the sound ninja's traps.

When they met back at the door, they each presented their findings. "I've got nothing. It's just a plain, old teashop in there. What about you guys?" Naruto asked.

"We found a few traps. They were easily disarmed." Shino reported, adjusting the glasses on his nose.

"Did you guys set our own traps? It would be useful if we had something to fall back on."

Tenten spoke this time, "Sorry, Naruto. No traps this time. There isn't really a good place to hide them in this flat land, so they would be too easily detected."

Naruto was disappointed, "I see… Anyway, we'll be meeting them here tomorrow, so we'll break for now and meet at the front of the hotel tomorrow. You can all do what you want, but make sure you get enough sleep!" With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the rest of the team of ninjas to wander around and entertain themselves.

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In the morning, Naruto, Tenten, Shino, and Kiba walked with each other down the streets, heading for the shop they found just yesterday. It was a scant fifteen minutes before they were due to meet and capture the other nins, and they were trying not to run so as not to alert the other villagers of ninja (they weren't wearing any headbands).

Walking into the teashop, they took the seat in the back that Naruto marked before with a small tag and waited for their 'contacts'. A tired and scruffy-looking waitress came to their table and asked, "What d'you want?"

Tenten ordered for them, "three bottles of sake and a cup of ginseng tea."

After writing it down on a little pad, the waitress said, "Right, be back in a minute." And disappeared.

She came back with the drinks, indeed, a minute later, just before they spotted three sound nins walking into the shop. One was very tall, but skinny, the other was only a little shorter and full of muscle, and the last one, a girl, was small, but very lithely built, like an acrobat. The nins recognized them and strode over. They sat down and the tall one asked, "Are there any new developments in stone?" in a very businesslike manner.

To which Shino answered, "Nothing that we're clear of. We suspect that they're up to something, but we're not shinobi so we're not privy to it."

The girl looked at them flatly, and said, "Where are they?"

"W-what? What do you mean?" Naruto sputtered

"Where are they? Where are the real contacts?" the girl repeated.

At this, their eyes widened.

They had been caught.

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read and review! 


	8. chapter 7

w00t! seventh chapter out!

And people who read this story/fic/whatever, please review. I see like, thousands of hits, but only 11 reviews, what's up with that? There are only three excuses for not reviewing, and they're not really valid excuses at all.

1) too lazy (wtf!)

2)story is crap (review to make it better!)

3)story is good (you may not have things to suggest I improve, but compliments make me feel good. Does it really take that long to click a button and type: "I like your story, it's really entertaining! keep writing plz!" or something?)

**Disclaimer:

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Chapter 7

Disguises discovered! Fight for the Mission!

Recap:

The girl looked at them flatly, and said, "Where are they?"

"W-what? What do you mean?" Naruto sputtered

"Where are they? Where are the real contacts?" the girl repeated.

At this, their eyes widened.

They had been caught.

End Recap:

The mission team froze, realizing that they'd been caught. Then, they did the only thing they could; they took the element of surprise while they could.

Jumping up and over their heads, they smashed the sound nin through the wall. "Shino, you take the girl. Kiba and Tenten, take out the muscle-bound bastard. I'll take that other guy." Naruto told his team

Naruto, Kiba (with Tenten supporting from behind), and Shino each rushed their enemies and engaged in a taijutsu fight, no one letting up enough for the use of ninjutsu. They were slowly separating their enemies, leading them away in opposite directions.

------------------Konoha-------------------------------------------

Byakko was currently accompanying Hinata to a meeting with Hiashi, who had called her in earlier this morning. She walked in with her and bowed respectfully to the prideful clan leader. "Hiashi-sama, good morning" She greeted.

"Hinata-san, Byakko-san, good morning" Hiashi replied, "I have called you here to discuss something that has recently come to my attention."

"What is it, father?" Hinata inquired.

"I've heard that the de-" at this point, Hiashi cleared his throat, "Naruto has left on a mission. Now, I'm sure you don't like staying trapped here, so I'll allow you outside for the time being." Hiashi tried to make it sound like he was giving her a privilege, but in reality, he was desperate for a way out, Hinata had gained a lot of popularity within the houses after the chuunin exams, and so when they found out she was under house arrest, quite a bit of animosity was raised towards the hyuuga clan head. He had actually been trying to find a way to release Hinata, but not lose face with the council, or risk Hinata 'associating' with Naruto.

The other two didn't seem to realize this, and so just looked at Hiashi in surprise and said, "Thank you, Hiashi-sama. We will be taking our leave now." Before walking out.

Outside, Byakko was the first one to talk, "Well, that was certainly unexpected" she said.

Hinata nodded, her eyes still widened slightly in mild shock, "Yes, I haven't expected him to find out so soon."

Byakko sweatdropped, _she missed the point_, she thought.

"So, what do we do?" Hinata asked

"Dunno, you're the boss."

Hinata sighed, "I was bored before, but now that I can go out again, I can't even think of something to do! Pathetic…"

Byakko looked at her a bit before suggesting they spar in one of the outside training grounds, when Hinata asked her why they couldn't do it in the compound, she just replied that there was more scenery outside.

So, they left the compound for the first time in a month and a half to go fight some more.

-------------------Naruto vs. sound nin----------------------------

Naruto was not faring well at all. The sound nin had a height advantage on him and was very fluid and powerful in his strikes, although he was faster. So, when he had judged they were far enough, he broke off. The sound nin allowed him to do so, intrigued as to what he might do.

Naruto, for his part, just fitted on his katars and smirked. That smirk, however, disappeared as the sound nin himself seemingly pulled two swords out of nowhere. Suddenly, as if by mutual consent, both of them dashed forward and their weapons clashed as they swung repeatedly at each other. The sound nin was quick and flowing with his strikes, never letting up on his attacks. He made up what he lacked in speed in his ability to follow up each attack with the other sword, keeping Naruto on the defensive.

But Naruto had two weapons as well, and he used them skillfully to parry attacks. Noticing an opening, he brought his left hand to bear as he punched at his enemy, stabbing the katar at his chest.

Too late, however, as he noticed that it was a ploy to get him to overreach himself. The sound ninja had stopped the katar with his arm, which was pierced through with Naruto's strength and would probably be useless for a while yet. Naruto fared worse, however, as he slipped away, a large and deep slash wound in the side of his abdomen. _Shit_ Naruto thought _this hurts. I won't be able to move as well for a while. I should heal faster than he does, though. I just need to keep him talking while I recover. _"Tell me something." Naruto said.

"What is it?" The sound nin replied. _Perfect, this is exactly what I want…_

"How did you notice that we weren't your contacts?"

"Hn" the nin scoffed, "It was easy. Our contacts are actually stone nin. To say that you don't have any clear information due to being a civilian gave you away totally and completely."

"hnnn I see…they didn't look like shinobi so I thought…though they did resist torture rather well…" Naruto mused to himself.

"Enough talk. I, Ikazuchi Ikeda, will kill you for disrupting Orochimaru-sama's plans!" With that, the now named sound nin started making handseals.

_I shouldn't let him complete that jutsu. _Naruto thought_ but how…taijutsu seems like the best option, my side's healed enough and I don't have too many effective ninjutsu…_ Following that train of thought, Naruto charged forward.

Naruto wasn't fast enough. Ikeda finished his sequence and yelled, "Ninpou: Karappo Otonami!"

-------------------------Shino vs. Sound kunoichi-------------------------------

Shino, meanwhile, was faring only slightly better. His skill at taijutsu was second only to Lee, Gai, and Neji and he was constantly swinging away at her, keeping her on the defensive. However, at the same time he couldn't hit her, the girl bent, dipped, tipped, and ducked in ways he wouldn't have thought of before in her attempt to dodge him.

The girl flipped and somersaulted away, putting a fair amount of distance from Shino. Shino, realizing that closing the distance again would be difficult, started a plan of action _she seems very acrobatically oriented. Even if I engage in taijutsu again, I probably won't be able to hit her. I don't have many jutsu, so I have to somehow encumber her with my bugs. But how…_ at that point, Shino was wrenched out of his thought process by the girl's shout, "Raiton: Denkiarashi no tama!"

Shino dodged the ridiculously large ball of electricity, but was surprised by the following spread of lightning. He emerged mostly unscathed, though, but his hair was frazzled, he was a bit numb in his extremities, and had small burns across his arms. He looked at his opponent anddecided _no time to think. I'll sneak them up slowly and wing it from there!_ So while he moved, a small stream of bugs crawled out of the bottom of his pants and onto the ground. They did not swarm out, and were only noticeable if one were to look closely, so the kunoichi did not notice it.

While that was proceeding, Shino attempted to close the distance again for a taijutsu fight. It seemed he failed miserably, though, as the girl screamed, "Raiton: Denki-ya!" and Shino was pierced through with several bolts of spear-shaped electricity.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise as Shino went up in smoke, only to be replaced with a cylindrical log with holes in it due to the bolts of energy that pierced it. "What!" She exclaimed, "A kawarimi!" Looking around for her opponent, the kunoichi tried to flush her opponent out, "Hey, blind boy!" Strike one; an anger vein appeared on Shino's head. He was sensitive about his sunglasses, dammit! "Come out and fight like a man! Oh, wait, or are you a woman? I can't really tell with that huge jacket of yours!" Strike two, and a second anger vein joined the first, the girl was getting annoying. Putting the bottom of her fist into her hand, she exclaimed, "Oh! I get it! You're scared! I mean, you're a genin, right? You have to be, what kind of jounin would fight like you do? I don't blame you, though. It only makes sense that genin run from jounin, there's such a large gap in strength!" That was strike three, but Shino calmed down. That last barb made him realize that it was a ploy to get him to reveal himself. However, his bugs were in position, so Shino didn't really feel that it was such a bad idea to start his attack now.

So, Shino circled around and jumped off of the tree behind the sound kunoichi. She was ready, however, and dodged his airborne attack, allowing him to hit the ground with his fist, splitting the skin on his knuckles with the force. She was confused, though, as her opponent stood up, smirking. "Got you" was the only thing he said, and suddenly, she realized that she couldn't move! Looking down, she noticed hundreds of thousands of tiny black bugs crawling up her thighs. The kunoichi was surprised that she was so distracted that she didn't notice the bugs on her! The bugs slowly restricted her movement as Shino walked calmly up to her, "It's over" he said.

----------------Public training area #15-----------------------------------

Hinata and Byakko squared off against each other, looking each other in the eye for a second before nodding and charging forward. Byakko launched a hakke: kuushou at Hinata, who dodged expertly and met Byakko head on as she slammed a palm at Byakko's ribs.

Byakko slapped her strike aside and spun as she twisted to Hinata's side, trying to land a strike at her shoulder blades. Hinata, however, ducked forward and Byakko's strike hit air. This continued on for a few hours, each striking at one another, expending chakra with each miss, until Byakko had enough and yelled, "Enough of this! Hakke: HyakuNiJyuu Hasshou!" Her speed increased by a factor of nearly six as she launched her fingers towards Hinata's tenketsu points.

Victory seemed assured, until Hinata called out, "Shugohakke: RokuJyuu YonShou!" Her shield of chakra beams appeared and blocked Byakko's rapid attack, but only temporarily as it eventually broke down under the sheer speed of her attack.

Hinata's tenketsu were closed, but she was still able to move. She was about to rush in again, but was stopped by Byakko, "Stop, Hinata. You can't channel chakra properly anymore; you can't do anything beyond mere slapping now." Realizing the truthfulness in her words, Hinata broke her form and fell down into the grass, panting and huffing, before falling asleep there. Byakko soon joined her, not quite exhausted by the workout, but wanting for rest nonetheless. There the two would stay for a few hours, until brought home by a branch house member to attend their evening training.

--------------Kiba/Akamaru/Tenten vs. Buff sound nin-------------

Kiba and Tenten managed to drive back the sound nin a few ways away, Tenten even wounding him a few times with thrown kunai. Currently, the sound nin was standing back, pulling a couple of kunai out from his forearm. Smirking, the sound nin cockily said, "You're good for a couple of puny leaf-nin. To have been able to wound me so many times, it seems there will be no need to hold back." Releasing a burst of chakra to heal himself with, he reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a set of silver bladed knuckles, with a long extension at the end, so it was almost like working with kunai. "Rejoice," the sound nin told them, "you have the pleasure of dying by the hands of Ranmaru Sakishou, one of sound's finest elites."

Kiba scoffed, "Hn. One of the sound's elites? I can see why Konoha repelled you so easily eight years ago, all Orochimaru sent were weaklings!

Sakishou was greatly incensed by that, and so replied in kind, "Is that so? Let's start this off, then! Doton: Yomi Numa!" He punched the ground and everything in a fifty meter radius turned into swamp, forcing Kiba, his dog, and Tenten to jump into the trees for safety. "Hah! Who are the weaklings now!" Sakishou yelled, "To have had to run from such a weak jutsu, you can't seriously be jounin, can you?"

Kiba growled and Tenten's eyes widened as she realized what he was going to do, but before she could stop him, Kiba and Akamaru launched themselves from the tree, yelling, "Gatsuuga!"

Unfortunately for the two, they were stopped by Sakishou's Doton: Doroku Gaeshi. Kiba and Akamaru eventually stopped spinning and fell to the ground, their limbs sore from trying to drill through the chakra-filled earth. Just as Sakishou was about to gut them, however, he was stopped by Tenten, who had summoned a quarterstaff and knocked the sound nin upside the head with it.

Tenten was still trying to get Kiba to stand up when Sakishou charged the two furiously. Slamming his fist into the ground, Sakishou yelled, "Doton: oboro tsuchi sazanami!" A large, rippling shockwave was sent out in a deluge of flying dirt, dust, and rock. Tenten found it easy enough to dodge, but Kiba and his dog didn't fare so well. In her concern, she almost didn't get her guard up in time for the follow-up attack from the sound nin.

The two traded blows for a bit, Tenten being pushed back despite the longer range of her quarterstaff. She was rescued, however, when Kiba finally recovered and slashed Sakishou's back using his shikyaku no jutsu.

The three were now facing off again. Sakishou seemed to be fine, although he was still bleeding slightly from the back wound Kiba gave him, but Akamaru was put out of action by a stray rock to his head and Kiba and Tenten were panting with exhaustion from being pushed so hard.

"This is going nowhere!" Kiba whispered to Tenten, frustrated by the lack of progress.

"I know! But what do you suggest we do? We've tried everything!" Tenten replied.

"We've only attacked alone and in turns, we can try attacking together!" Kiba said, his face lighting up as if he struck a gold mine. Meanwhile, the sound nin was watching them, knowing it was stupid to just leave them alone to recover like that but still amused at their stupidity (they were having a conversation in the middle of a battlefield, for god's sake!)

Meanwhile, Tenten was explaining her doubts about their 'plan', "But, doesn't that sound too simple? And what if I hit you?"

Kiba looked at her like she grew two extra heads, "Tenten, I thought you were the person who could hit the target a hundred times in a hundred tries…"

"Well, I am, but" Tenten sighed, "Whatever, let's give this a shot." With that, they both turned to face the sound nin, whose face was shining with amusement.

"Done having your tea party, kiddies? Well then, let's go!" They rushed each other, fighting to get the upper hand. Tenten with a newly summoned naginata, Kiba using shikyaku no jutsu, and the man fighting off both with his brute strength adding to his bladed knuckles.

They swung and ducked and dodged each other expertly, until Tenten pulled back and started throwing kunai after kunai at the man, while Kiba weaved in and out of her projectiles, trying to swipe at Sakishou while he was still dodging. Tired of missing, Tenten pulled out two scrolls. "Soushouryu!" She yelled, as twin dragons of smoke rose, twisting together in the air. Tenten appeared in the middle of both, summoning and throwing a deluge of weapons at the man, who was unable to dodge all of them, getting hit several times in the arms and the waist. He wasn't to be stopped, however, as he yelled, "Doton: Doryu Dango!" and hefted a village-sized boulder at them. Kiba and Tenten easily dodged the slow attack, but were caught by surprise when they heard yet another shout, "Doton: Doryuudan!"

_H-How does he send out jutsu that fast, the speed of his handseals is almost unreal!_ Kiba thought as he and his teammate were stabbed by hard pieces of mud infused by chakra. "Hn. Didn't put up much of a fight at all…" Sakishou muttered to himself as he approached the two to finish him off. He was impeded from his goal once again, however, as Akamaru launched a tsuuga straight into his back. Growling in frustration and annoyance, Sakishou yelled at Akamaru, "Stupid dog! Do you ever stay down! Step away and maybe I'll let you keep breathing!" Akamaru just barked and readied another tsuuga. Akamaru was also stopped, but this time by Kiba, who looked Akamaru in the eye. Akamaru nodded, and thought _Master Kiba wants us to reveal our secret move! But why? Isn't Tenten still there? Master Kiba must feel her being knocked out is enough…_

Kiba flashed through a few seals before yelling, "Ninpou: Jinjyuu Henge no jutsu!" Kiba turned into a replica of Akamaru, and they both launched themselves, twirling and peeing everywhere, as they unleashed their deadly double dynamic marking skill.

Soaked in urine and feeling very violated, Sakishou yelled in fury as he charged forth and tried to bash the two dog's heads in. He never got to, though, as Kiba immediately reformed and yelled, "Soutouro!"

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Original Jutsu list:

1)Karappo Otonami no jutsu: Empty sound wave technique-Sends a cocussive blast of 'empty' sound. Empty sound (which is basically sound with an incredibly high bass level) knocks opponent back, hopefully sending them into unconsciousness. If not, the user's eardrums are burst and they become deaf for an indefinite amount of time until it's healed.

2)Raiton: Denkiarashi no tama-(_roughly translated_) Lightning element: Ball of electric storm: sends a ball of roiling and unstable electricity at opponent. A spread attack, it randomly shoots out bolts of lightning as it flies and upon contact, splits into many bolts of electricity that flies everywhere.

3)Raiton: Denki-ya: Lightning element: Electric arrow-sends bolts of electricity at opponent. number of bolts depends on amount of chakra dedicated to casting the jutsu.

4)Doton: Oboro tsuchi sazanami: Earth element: Hazy earth ripple-sends a rippling wave of dirt and rock in all directions, obscuring a person's view and bruising him/her with rocks to disable them.

5)Ninpou: Jinjyuu henge no jutsu: Ninja arts: Human-beast transformation technique: Kiba turns into a copy of akamaru, basically jyuujin bunshin reversed.

6) double dynamic marking: dynamic marking x2

notes: The whole thing in Kiba and Tenten's fight about "attacking together" was a failed attempt at making comedy through having simple minds concoct a simple strategy.

A/N: So, how did I do for one of my first fight scenes EVAR! Read and review and tell me what to do!


	9. Who lived? A fighting conclusion

Finally! Chapter 8 is up! enjoy...'cause it took me a long time and a lot of thinking to come up with these fight scenes! >:(

Disclaimer:

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**Chapter 8**

Who lived? A Fighting conclusion

Recap:

Soaked in urine and feeling very violated, Sakishou yelled in fury as he charged forth and tried to bash the two dog's heads in. He never got to, though, as Kiba immediately reformed and yelled, "Soutouro!"

End Recap:

A monstrously large, white, double-headed wolf rose in place of Kiba and Akamaru, it snarled fiercely as Sakishou as drool slowly dripped off of its gaping maw. The 'wolf' rose to its full height, leering ponderously down at the sound nin. "Shit" was all Sakishou could say as the wolf inverted itself and started spinning.

"Garouga!" The wolf shouted

Sakishou blanched, "Shit!" Acting on instinct, he made a few handseals and yelled, "Doton: Doryuu Heki!" a huge wall of earth rose up from the ground and placed itself between the wolf and Sakishou. Unfortunately, the wolf barreled through the hastily erected barrier, straight into Sakishou, who was knocked clear into the air about 100 feet up. The wolf stood at its full height, watching the sound nin even though it was most likely he was never getting up again. _Hn. Who am I fooling? He won't be getting up. Now to find the others, I've only got two more shots left of my Garouga_. As he started walking away, though, he suddenly felt a cold, icily piercing pain.

Sakishou was standing up, having apparently just impaled part of Kiba's Soutourou with earth spikes. "So, how do you like it? How do you like the pain of my Doton: Tsuchi nui?" Sakishou asked.

A large cloud of smoke enveloped the wolf, and when it disappeared, in its place were Kiba and Akamaru, on their backs and rolling over in pain. Sakishou himself was bloody in the front with the majority of his flesh lacerated and bleeding. He panted and supported himself on his knees.

"Shit! Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, Akamaru was bleeding profusely through a wound in his abdomen (1). He was breathing shallowly and was losing blood extremely quickly. It seemed that he was going to die. Kiba rounded on the exhausted sound nin, "You! What the hell did you do! Heal him now!" The sound nin was thoroughly cowed by Kiba's enraged face, and was about to wet his pants for the fact that he wasn't a medic nin. The sheer killing intent and bloodlust unleashed by Kiba was enough to terrorize even a kage.

"B-b-but I-I don't have any medical jutsu!" Sakishou claimed.

"Well then, you should have thought of that before YOU GUTTED AKAMARU!" Kiba yelled, charging Sakishou at the same time. Sakishou reacted immediately, holding out a kunai while closing his eyes. There was a sound of piercing flesh, as Sakishou opened his eyes wide before falling forward and vomiting blood. Kiba joined him on the ground, kneeling. Apparently, Sakishou had raised his kunai just in the nick of time as Kiba was already upon him. Using his Shikyaku no jutsu induced claws; Kiba had disemboweled the man, earning a deep kunai wound in between his shoulder and chest for his carelessness.

After a few minutes, Kiba rose to his feet once again, "I have to go find my friends. Besides, this bastardis starting to reekof death." He stumbled over to Akamaru and picked him up before waking Tenten. Using her shoulder as a crutch, the two walked off to go find their friends.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl laughed, "Ha! It's over, is it? For you, maybe! I've still got a lot of fight in me, it'll take more than these faggot bugs to bring me down!"

Shino, although greatly angered by her comments, was able to reply calmly and logically, "You are trapped and cannot move. Furthermore, my bugs are sucking out your chakra as we speak. You have no hope and denial will not change a thing."

The girl, although no longer laughing, still had a shit-eating smirk on her face, which was definitely not getting her any brownie points with the leaf nin, "You think I only had raiton jutsu, didn't you? Well, let's see you trap this! Suiton: Naimenteki Karada Bakuhatsu!" With that, a deafening roar ripped through the clearing as the girl's semi-petite body emitted tens of gallons of water through the pores of her body in one large burst, blowing the bugs off and even drowning a few of them in the process.

"But how-" Shino started in surprise, "But how could you use that? My bugs should have sucked up too much chakra!"

The girl smirked once more, "Hn, I know the Aburame. You can actually slow down the rate of chakra consumption by two-thirds if you put a concentrated chakra shield up around your body and isolate the rest of your chakra in the innermost coils. The bugs can't suck out chakra as well if it's hardened and concentrated like that."

Shino's brows furrowed, "What's your name?"

"Ueyama Aemi, one of the sound's elite jounin team of three."

"I see, I shall make a note of that."

One look into each other's eyes and they were off. Aemi charged at Shino, who prepared by surrounding himself in a cloud of bugs, having them swirling around in a veritable torrent of buzzing. Shino decided to preempt her strike, calling out "Ninpou: Mushi Dangan!" as long spears of bugs shot off at her, traveling at amazing speeds.

Aemi just strafed to the side though, and continued to charge on undisturbed while calling out her own jutsu, "Raiton: Raikou kei!" A long string of lightning extended from her palm as she brought it down, whipping at Shino.

Shino also sidestepped, though a fair amount of bugs were lost to her assault, he himself was physically unharmed. He came up just in time to block a punch from the girl, but she just flipped over him and kicked him in the small of his back, knocking him down. Before she could capitalize on her advantage, Shino pulled out his standard ANBU-issue wakizashi and took a slash at her.

She leapt out of the way just in time and threw a few kunai down at him. Shino rolled out of the way, however, and charged on, undeterred at her efforts to put him down. By now his swarm had surrounded the both of them in a dome, trapping her in, but many bugs were dieing due to the many weapons being thrown and jutsu being cast. Eventually, Shino grew tired of the pitched fight, and decided to stay back as his bugs closed in.

Aemi jumped and drowned a few of them with a Suiton: Teppoudama, but was unable to stay ahead of them forever as she was slowly encased in a cocoon of bugs…again.

"Ha!" Aemi laughed, "You think this can stop me! I already showed you that I could break out!"

Shino was not in the least perturbed, "We both know that that's a bluff. I can tell that you're nearly out of chakra. Even with your knowledge of how to slow down my bugs, your reserves have degraded to a level where that won't help."

The sound kunoichi gasped. He had caught her bluff! Her bravado soon returned, however, as she shouted, "Ha! So you've managed to beat me, the weakest of our team! Your teammates are surely dead by now, and my teammates are going to come and help! You're efforts will ultimately be futile! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The girl laughed insanely in desperation

Until she was knocked out.

Kiba stood behind her, his hand still in its chopping position. Tenten was beside him, ready to catch him should he fall. Shino was surprised, "Kiba! Tenten! You're here!"

Kiba smirked, "Why do you look so surprised, Shino? Don't tell me you believed her."

At that, Shino started sputtering, "No, I-I…"

Kiba just turned around, "Hah! Shino, I liked it better when you were all quiet." With that, the three (plus dog, well it was being carried) went off to support Naruto.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto heard the jutsu, and could deduce what it could do, but he was still too late to be able to do anything about it. So, he was brutally bounced back and into the ground, his ears bleeding from the hit and his whole body sore. Getting up, his eyes widened as Ikeda called out, "Kenkiriha!" and swung one of his swords horizontally, leaving an ambient blue wave charging towards Naruto. He rolled out of the way before producing a few kage bunshin and charging the sound nin's ass.

"You think you're the only one with techniques?" Naruto said, "Then get a taste of this! Tenshou Souhazan!" Naruto disappeared before kicking Ikeda into the air by his chin (like lee). He jumped up above the nin, charging his katars with chakra to lengthen the blades, before striking downwards with both hands into his abdomen, creating a deep gash in his torso. Normally, this would have been fatal for a person, but Ikeda managed to concentrate chakra into the area that was struck at the last minute, strengthening his body like armor there. He survived with a long cut, but nothing too deep.

"I'm not done yet! Shippu Raisenbu!" Naruto called out. Rushing in again, he launched into a devastating combo of punches (turned into stabs by his katars) and kicks all around his body, before finally concentrating chakra into his two palms (kamehameha style) and landing a powerful strike in the small of his back, blasting him forwards, and face-first into the ground again. Ikeda got up again, though, his body now sporting several small holes and even more bruises that before, along with one HUGE sore on his back.

_Shit_ Ikeda thought to himself _I won't last long if it keeps going like this. I'll have to bring out **those** genjutsu…_ "The time has come…" He said, "After this, you'll be lucky to be a blubbering mass of flesh on the ground."

_These genjutsu have to be done in a continuous series, so as to not give the victim a chance to recover and increase the chance of completely breaking him mentally. I hope I have enough chakra left for this…_

Ikeda bound Naruto with a kanashibari no jutsu first, so he could not disrupt him while he was forming the seals. Naruto could only watch with dread as the long first sets of seals were finished, "Kore wa hontou no zetsubou: meina nozomi no yuuzai!" Ikeda intoned.

Naruto was immediately hit with the genjutsu. His eyes rolled into the back of his head while he screamed and clutched his head as his darkest emotions ran out of control, forcing him to relive any guilt he's ever had over and over magnified a thousand fold. Naruto kept screaming. The pain was more than any words could ever describe. In his little black world of pain and torment, Naruto was looking for his weapons or any way to end this torment once and for all. It was then that he realized that all his weapons were gone! (Only in the genjutsu. He really has all his weapons; he just doesn't realize they're there because of the genjutsu) His screaming and moaning was then renewed with vigor, this time not only for the emotional pain, but also with the anguish of not being able to end it.

The first one started to wind down, Naruto's eyes dull and glassy, tired from all the torment he'd just been subjected to. But before his mind could recover, Ikeda finished another set of seals and intoned, "Kibou ga kieta…utsubyou no kunrin!"

Naruto's shoulders were slumped once more as waves upon waves of manic depression set upon him. He was feeling years of torment and hatred of anything and anybody tear into his emotional stability, eroding his will to live and his will to do anything even more. This time, he did not scream in pain and anguish, because there was no real pain involved. Instead, there was a dead silence, and the silent wracking sobs of one Uzumaki Naruto, as near fatal doses of manic depression set upon him.

That would have been bad enough, but Ikeda, although feeling slightly guilty for using this on one so young, was determined to break him and get rid of the threat once and for all. With this mindset, he released his last genjutsu, "Kanashisa no sakebi – yabou no zetsumei!"

Naruto was once again blasted by another genjutsu, this time utterly crushing all his dreams and ambitions. Naruto cried so much that his tears ran out before yelling out in sadness.

------Shino, Kiba, Tenten PoV------

Sakura had appeared earlier to check on them and heal their wounds and was now leading them to where she had found Naruto, who was still fighting. They were almost there when they heard a piteous scream of sadness and despair. Hoping he was alright, they sprinted towards the voice.

They came upon the clearing only to be greeted by the sight of Naruto lying on the floor, body limp, eyes almost lifeless, and mouth slack and drooling. They stood there, dumbfounded at the sight for a second until Kiba was able to compose himself and yell, "Hey! What the hell did you do to him, you bastard!"

Ikeda just sighed and said, "You'd best be going back to your village. He needs to be treated as soon as possible as his psyche has been greatly damaged, possible even beyond full repair."

At this, everyone was shocked, "WHAT! Set him right this instant, prick!" Kiba yelled, again.

Shino nodded in agreement, "Yes. We would feign have you repeal the effects of your jutsu immediately."

The sound group leader looked at them in exasperation, "Don't you understand! I can't just put him back the way he was! He-" noticing that his persuasion attempts weren't working, he gave up. Returning into a fighting stance, he waited for them to attack.

Meanwhile, unknown to the others and Naruto, Kyuubi was working furiously to repair Naruto's conscious mind. After all, if Naruto "died" in mind, he would technically become a vegetable, and it would be unbelievably **boring** for the next seventy years of his life.

The Kyuubi was only partially successful. The boy was now able to function properly, but his will to live, emotions, and previous attitudes were gone. Technically, his state of mind was a blank slate, with only memories to influence how it's painted (2). Naruto regained consciousness just as Kiba, Shino, and Tenten rushed his previous opponent. Sakura, however, bent down to check on Naruto.

"Naruto! Naruto! Are you all right?" Sakura asked with worry apparent in her voice. She gave him a once over, healing any minor bruises or scratches that he picked up in his battle with the sound nin. She couldn't do anything about his damaged psyche, though, that wasn't something a medic-nin was trained to treat. She'd just have to leave it as it is and hope that he can still function. It looked like he had regained consciousness, but would not be getting up for some time. Sakura decided she would be the one to guard Naruto.

Naruto opened his eyes, watching as Kiba charged the nin head first, trying to decapitate him with a kunai, while Shino followed up, swarming his bugs around him angrily. _Kiba…Shino…you're both so strong…but why do you fight? For me?_ _For the mission? Why? _Naruto thought, questions forming and being pondered at light speed inside his head.

Meanwhile, the last sound shinobi was having a tougher time of it. _Shit_ he thought _how the hell do I handle three people at once? I don't have any strong jutsu, especially those aimed to destroy multiple targets, and I can't try that genjutsu technique again, it takes too long and only works on one person… Whatever, I'll wing it. I hope to god I'm still alive after this. The first thing I'm doing when I go back is to make an offering at the nearest shrine_.

Ikeda continued parrying attacks while dodging Shino's bugs, occasionally sending off a minor jutsu of his own, until he saw his chance. Kiba had backed down for a few seconds to catch his breath, and Tenten was just entering the fight. Quickly sending a large number of kunai with exploding tags in her direction, he jumped up and called out, "Ninpou: Karappo Otonami!" and sent a large blast of sound downwards. The concussive force of the jutsu utterly squished many of the bugs, while blowing the rest back in different directions. This was only aided by the large blast that came from his launched kunai only a second later. Landing quietly, he was pleased to see the girl on the ground and down for the count, with several scorch marks on her body. She wasn't dead however, as she appeared to have dodged barely, avoiding the very worst of the blast. Shino wasn't much better off. The shockwave emitted by the combined explosions slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him and severely bruising his backside. In addition, half his bugs were gone, killed by the devastating combination of explosions. The sound nin's eyes widened suddenly. Where were the other boy and his dog? He was answered as Kiba and Akamaru appeared right in front of him, grabbing his two swords and breaking them.

"Ha!" Kiba taunted, "What can you do now without your precious swords, huh?"

Kiba was surprised, however, as Ikeda just smirked and said, "Kuuhaku no yaiba" before making a downwards slashing motion with his hands. Suddenly, a large gash appeared in Kiba's chest, spraying blood that was sucked into…an invisible sword?

Falling to the ground clutching his wound, Kiba asked, "What (pant) the hell (pant) is that thing?"

The sound nin chuckled, "It's my Kuuhaku no yaiba, my vacuum blade. It cuts by creating a vacuum, sucking out skin and flesh wherever it touches. It's invisible until it cuts something, at which point it sucks blood into the center of the blade."

Shino adjusted his glasses, "Do not worry, Kiba, your getting hit was not in vain. We can now see the blade and dodge it."

Kiba was shocked at the unfeeling way Shino just said that, but let that go and chalked it up to just Shino being Shino. Meanwhile, Ikeda was silently chuckling to himself. _To their advantage, eh? Well, I'll just show them how wrong they are_. He yelled out, "Chi dangan!" and all the blood that was previously inside the blade was released in the form of a hailstorm of bullets, capable of not only piercing skin, but through the whole body as well.

Shino was able to dodge, but Kiba was not so lucky. In his wounded state, the best he was able to do was to roll out of the way sluggishly. He ended up with a porous arm and large grooves in his side. Needless to say, Kiba was now out of the battle.

Shino gasped when he saw Kiba's dreadful state _Kiba!_ Shino thought _this man…Kiba…although you may not be the most agreeable person at times, as a friend and a comrade, I will avenge you!_

Shino made his move. Circling around at his fastest speed, he launched a mushi dangan to cover his approach. Weaving through the bullets, Ikeda did not notice the few bugs that managed to hide themselves into the folds of his clothing and immediately begin to leech chakra. Shino himself covered his arms and body with his mushi no yoroi and proceeded to enter into hand-to-hand combat, Shino starting off with a strong backhanded punch to the face.

Ikeda rolled with the punch and responded accordingly by swinging his vacuum blade. Shino, not able to see the length of the blade, played it safe and jumped back as far as he could. "Kekkai konchuu bunshin no jutsu…" muttered Shino as his bugs spread out all around him in a pool before forming five clones.

Then, two of the Shinos flashed through hand seals while the other four charged, before they reached Ikeda, the two finished their jutsu and called out, "Doton: Yomi Numa!" and "Doton: Doryuudan!" Ikeda was caught in the massive swamp created by the Aburame, but was able to twist his body and avoid a significant number of the clumps of mud launched at him. They few that did hit him, however, bruised him heavily around the shoulders and waist, softening him up for the inevitable taijutsu battle with the other Aburame ninjas.

Shino chose that moment to strike. The Shino that launched the Doryuudan having caught up to the rest (the last still holding the Yomi Numa), they came at the sound nin from the front, right, left, and two from above, they drew their ninja-to as one and once again made a long opening slash.

It was at this point that Ikeda's previous injuries caught up to him. Feeling the soreness caused be a broken rib or two, some minor internal injuries, and major bruises in his torso, he was just able to raise his sword and destroy the two that jumped at him, which totally backfired when they went out in a shower of bugs that covered him in a thin sheen of black bugs, continually depriving him of much needed chakra.

Meanwhile, the other three Shinos all wounded him. In his wounded state, Ikeda simply did not have in him to avoid the attack. Now bleeding with three new gashes in his torso, the sound Nin went down. While not dead just yet, he still wouldn't be getting up again. Leaving his bugs to feast on the soon-to-be carcass, Shino turned around to check on the condition of his teammates as well as the prisoner.

Sakura was already finished with Tenten, who was resting beside Naruto, and was busy healing Kiba. However, it appeared she wouldn't finish as her chakra levels were already reaching a dangerously low level. So, Shino offered her one of his soldier pills. Sakura took it gratefully, and continued healing Kiba.

Soon enough, she was done, and they camped for the night, deciding to interrogate the prisoner in the morning.

---------------------In the morning-----------------------------

Shino woke up, blinking his eyes to get rid of the gunk that grew there. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings with a speed and clarity that only a shinobi could muster in the early mornings.

Shino noticed that Naruto was still asleep. Considering what time it was, he should be awake by now, but Shino decided to let him be. Then, he heard noises outside. Stepping outside, Shino noticed the rest of the team already interrogating the prisoner, who was currently bound with an earth jutsu.

Kiba was the first to notice Shino's presence and walked over to him, "Morning, Shino."

Adjusting his glasses, Shino returned the greeting, "Morning."

Kiba gestured toward the prisoner, "We've already gotten the location of that bastard's hideout out of her. We're finishing up now. Wanna help?"

"Sure." Shino replied.

When Shino approached the sound kunoichi, he finally got a look at her pitiful state. Her hair was unkempt and her skin and eyes were red by constant crying and torture. She was even begging for release, "Please! Please, let me go! I already told you everything so please…please…please…" she sobbed.

Shino flinched, although it was imperceptible to foreign eyes. "Shit…" Shino said, "What did you do to her?"

"Really…not all that much." Sakura replied, "It seems she's really susceptible to torture."

"So…what do we do with her now?" Tenten asked

Having never actually had a prisoner totally under their control before, the group just stood there, basking in the awkward moment. Shino broke the silence, "Err…I guess…we kill her? It seems to me that it would be doing her a favor at this point."

The other ninjas just shrugged and motioned for Shino to do the honors.

It was at this point that Naruto woke up. Blinking his eyes blearily, he noticed the stark absence of…well…anyone. Wanting to find out what was wrong, Naruto stepped out of the guy's tent to find the rest of the squad. Blinking again in utter confusion, Naruto queried, "Mornin' wha' you guys doin?"

Hiding the body behind them, Kiba just smirked, "We're going to find Orochimaru."

* * *

OJ (origingal jutsu) list in order of appearance: 

1)Doton: tsuchi nui/_earth element: earth needle_: has large needles (spikes) shoot up beneath the target

2)Suiton: naimenteki karada bakuhatsu/_water element: inner body explosion_: has water explode out of the pores in the body athighpressure, creating a large burst around the body, forcing anything and everything away from the body in a 15 meter radius. The explosion has a lot of concussive force.

3)Ninpou: mushi dangan/_ninja arts: bug bullet_: shoots small groups of bugs out in a pod like shape covered in chakra. If it hits, the chakra coating the group will force it's way into the body, not only allowing the bugs to suck chakra faster (because they are closer to one's chakra coils) but also making it much harder to force the bugs off.

4)Raiton: raikou kei/_lightning element: lightning whip_: creates a long chain of lightning off of the user's finger or palm, allowing them to whip it around to hit opponents. The electricity is very concentrated, so it will not electrocute the victim, but it will give deep, searing cuts as well as stun them for a few seconds.

5)kenkiriha/_sword cutting wave_: as implied, it sends a wave of energy from the sword, which can cut anything (kind of like kuririn'skrillin in america destructo disc)

6)Tenshou souhazan_/falcon's crest_: a three-hit combo. the user enshrouds his blade with chakra before creating a small shockwave, causing the opponent to stumble, before catching the target under the chin with the flat side of the blade, sending him/her up into the air. The user jumps up above the opponent, giving a finishing slash to the torso, sending them into the ground...hard. I am aware that the technique may not directly translate into falcon's crest, but I took this from tales of symphonia (disclaim immediately!) and so just went with the official english translations.

7)Shippu Raisenbu: is a multi hit combo (over 15 hits?) consisting of the user using superior speed to circle the target, puching them repeatedly over the body (with naruto, it's turned into stabs because of his katars)before reappearing in front of the opponent and delivering a chakra-charged hit (thus creating a large, damaging impact), sending them flying backwards (the hit itself is kind of like the hadouken, except it doesn't leave the body, so he can't use it over a distance). Dunno the translations because I took this from Tales of Abyss (once again, disclaim immediately), which has never come to america and was too lazy to try to translate it.

8)three genjutsu combo: a)kore wa hontou no zetsubou: meina nozomi no yuuzai/_this is true despair: guilt of dark wishes _b)kibou ga kieta...utsubyou no kunrin/_hope has disappeared...reign of depression_ c)kanashisano sakebi: yabou no zetsumei/_cry out in sadness: death of dreams_

9)karappo otonami: check chapter 7

10)kuuhaku no yaiba/_vacuum blade_: creates a blade by making a contained space where no air exists. Cuts by sucking in anything solid it touches into its center.

11)Chi dangan/_blood bullet_: shoots out bullets of blood. the number depends on the user's will and the amount of blood inside the blade (or other container)

Notes:

(1): In the state of Soutouro, While both Kiba and Akamaru feel the pain of wounds inflicted on them, Akamaru's body is the one that sustains the wounds (Kiba and Akamaru basically share minds inside Akamaru's body as it mutates into a huge two-headed wolf).

(2): So, Naruto won't have amnesia, or be a vegetable or anything. He still has his memories and is able to function properly. He's just lost all his goals and wants in life and has no idea how to react in social situations with other people in relation.

I'm sorry there's no byakko in this chapter for all who potentially wanted it. On a side note, that part about the genjutsu just came out as I wrote and was not originally planned. Could you tell (if not or if so, reveiw and tell me!)? Oh well, I'll just work with it.

This is my longest chapter yet! I'm really proud of myself! Now, review and tell me how you liked (or hated) this chapter, please?


	10. chapter 9

Yo! It's me and I'm back again with chapter 9 of TBOWE! w00t! I know i'm late but i had a huge writer's block (concerning what to do with Naruto) and a subsequent loss of inspiration to write...yeah... Anyway I'm back now and so I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

**Disclaimer:...

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Chapter 9

The evil lair is found! Confronting Orochimaru

Recap:

_It was at this point that Naruto woke up. Blinking his eyes blearily, he noticed the stark absence of…well…anyone. Wanting to find out what was wrong, Naruto stepped out of the guy's tent to find the rest of the squad. Blinking again in utter confusion, Naruto queried, "Mornin' wha' you guys doin?"_

_Hiding the body behind them, Kiba just smirked, "We're going to find Orochimaru."_

End Recap:

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Really? You got the information already?"

The others just nodded dumbly. _Wow, that genjutsu affected him more than I thought_ they all thought. Normally, he'd be jumping up and down, yelling about finally being able to teach that snake bastard what for. Naruto just kept talking, "Cool, let's go then."

Naruto was halfway back to the guy's tent when he put his fist into his palm and said, "Oh yeah! What happened to the prisoner?"

The rest of the squad looked up in surprise at that. They hadn't expected him to think of the prisoner. "Errrr…we knocked her out and left her somewhere in the woods?" They answered uneasily.

The blonde-haired ninja just looked at them for a moment, then shrugged and walked into the tent to pack up. The rest of the ninja's just sighed in relief.

Minutes Later

Having packed up, they were heading at a steady pace towards Orochimaru's lair in Rice country. Having discovered that Orochimaru's current place of residence is underground and just south of a small town called 'Pashinkyu', all of the ninjas were sprinting at a determined pace, with Naruto trailing behind (mostly because they have not yet told him of Orochimaru's whereabouts).

They had just passed rice country borders a few minutes ago, and were now well on their way to the city, which was located a bit south of the northern tip of rice.

They reached the city easily enough, and decided to rest there for a few hours before heading on to the base. So, the five nin spread out to enjoy themselves and eat, play, and sleep. They were determined to live these next three hours to it's fullest, because all of them realized one thing:

That this could be the last few hours of their life.

-------------------------------Konoha-----------------------------------------------

Today, Byakko decided to see the Hokage about becoming a kunoichi. So, she and Hinata split ways for a while, Hinata opting to find Kurenai and train.

Byakko walked in through the large double doors of the Hokage towers and spoke to the secretary, who told her that she might have to wait a few hours, as the Hokage had another meeting as well as a mission briefing already scheduled.

So, Byakko spent the extra time reading people's emotions with her Byakugan. She had just concluded that a chuunin with long brown hair was having…_romantic_...problems with his girlfriend when she was called into the Hokage's office.

Inside, Tsunade was, as always, surrounded by no less than six waist-high piles of paperwork, all needing to be dealt with by the end of the day. Sparing a cursory glance at the inordinate amount of paperwork, Byakko thought _That is a LOT of paperwork. Why would anyone want this job? It's clear that it's taking Tsunade-sama all she can give just to stay sane._

Turning her attention to Tsunade's inquiring stare and bowing, she said, "Hokage-sama, I came to ask your permission to be instated as a konoha ninja."

If anything, Tsunade looked even more curious at this statement, "May I ask why?"

Byakko nodded and replied, "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but part of it is that I've reached past the age and skill level required to become a ninja, and since my parents restricted me from going to the academy as a child I've been wanting to try becoming one. Coupled with having nothing to do during the day and a few…other…things…yeah." She finished lamely.

Tsunade seemed to accept the answer, even though it was clear she was hiding something. Leaning into her high-backed chair, she said, "Well, you do certainly have the skills to be a successful ninja, but since you don't know any of the academy jutsu, I can't instate you as one. There's also the fact that we wouldn't really have any place to put you because the new genin teams won't be made for about half a year…hmmm"

Tsunade sank into thought for a while, leaving Byakko to stand there nervously before asking her, "Do you really want to become a ninja?"

Upon receiving a fervent nod from Byakko, Tsunade once again recessed into her chair to consider her options, a seeming habit of hers. "Well, I suppose I can allow you to study with a genin team for a while until you pick up the basics. After that, once you have proven that you can at least perform all three academy jutsu and one other with a decent degree of efficiency, we can test you for your placing in the ranks."

Byakko's face lit up with a bright smile, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" She said, bowing again.

Tsunade allowed a small smile to cross her face as well, "Yeah, yeah. Just remember that you're still not a ninja 'till you've mastered those jutsu and passed my test. Now, since there aren't any new genin teams to place you with, I'll give you free reign to study with whichever genin team you chose. There are actually only about six genin teams that haven't graduated yet."

After handing Byakko the profile lists of the genin teams, she dismissed her and the hyuuga left with yet another bow and thank you.

Exiting the Hokage tower, Byakko looked at the list. True to her word, there were exactly six teams inside the manila folder. They were as follows:

Team 2:

Jounin sensei: Yaiba Kotowaru

Members: Ippa Kitsuki, Tanami Shiritori, Jisshou Nagai

Note: meets at training ground #27, a genin team for 1 year with 30 D-rank and 10 C-rank missions completed. A scout specialist team.

Team 3:

Jounin sensei: Ichiban Benri

Members: Kisshiki Akito, Toku Haga, Kitsu Abuki

Note: meets at southwestern bridge near sushi shop _Tomogara_, a genin team for 6 months with 18 D-rank and 4 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

Team 6:

Jounin sensei: Nanto Yuuji

Members: Sarutobi Konohamaru, Kiruwatari Udon, Arumi Moegi

Note: meets at training ground #16, a genin team for 2 years with 50 D-rank and 25 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

Team 12:

Jounin sensei: Nagato Ryuuko

Members: Hiruma Baiken, Kuradoberi Michiru, Anji Mito

Note: meets at Shodaime memorial park, a genin team for 3 years with 60 D-rank and 45 C-rank missions completed. Trained to be an assassination team.

Team 13:

Jounin sensei: Yurushi Kondo

Members: Aburame Miyashi, Inuzuka Naomi, Nara Kikomi

Note: meets at northern bridge south of Mori forest, a genin team for 3 years with 54 D-rank and 50 C-rank missions completed. A scout specialist team.

Team 18:

Jounin sensei: Kita Minami

Members: Innamo Nishi, Kakowaru Higashi, Kimaru Chuushin

Note: meets at Mizutamari river on the east side of Konoha, a genin team for 1 year with 27 D-rank and 11 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

As Byakko looked these teams over, she thought _Hmmm…Konohamaru? I think Naruto mentioned someone named that before… Maybe I'll pay them a visit tomorrow. I'll definitely become a ninja! For Naruto…_ Her eyes widened at this _Eep! Alright, I really have to stop thinking about this… _And without any delay, she hurried off to her room to get ready for tomorrow.

------Tea country, Pashinkyu city------

It was getting into the evening when the group reunited at the outskirts of the city. Crouching in a small huddle on the side of the road, Shino asked, "Is everybody ready? No items left behind, no business not taken care of? Remember, we'll be going straight to Orochimaru's lair from here."

Everyone nodded, and the five ninja disappeared.

------Orochimaru's lair, front entrance------

Shino, Naruto, Kiba, Tenten, and Sakura stopped just short of the large clearing in front of a set of stairs leading down to what was supposed to be Orochimaru's lair and surprisingly, it was unguarded.

Well, surprisingly to Shino, Tenten, and Sakura anyway. It didn't really cross Naruto and Kiba's minds, really. It probably made sense to them because of the death of the Sound four nearly eight years ago.

Before Kiba and Naruto could just move on, Shino raised a hand to stop them. Annoyed, Kiba responded, "what?"

Shino was still as calm as ever as he spoke, "We cannot just rush in. There are most likely traps everywhere inside and Orochimaru is just as likely to be aware of our presence. At the very least we should prepare a method of fighting him and whatever partners he has on hand."

Naruto didn't say anything, having been unusually quiet ever since the day after the battle. Kiba's sigh was big enough for both of them (and more) when he dropped himself down next to Shino and said with resignation, "Fine, whatever. What's the plan?"

Shino's eyebrow twitched unnoticeably, a sure (though useless, as it was unnoticeable) sign that his patience was running thin. Ignoring Kiba's lack of care, he started, "Well, seeing as how we don't know what kinds of traps that Orochimaru has in his halls, the best we can do about that is to stick together and be alert. What I'd like to turn my attention to is how we're actually going to fight Orochimaru when we find him. Do we have any ideas?"

Naruto, having had the most experience with Orochimaru out of all of them, started speaking in a curiously dispassionate voice, "Well, Orochimaru usually does not bring anyone with him other than Kabuto and now, probably Sasuke as well." Suddenly, Naruto looked up at them with red eyes that burned with great focus and intensity, but his voice still did not change, "I don't know about you, but regardless of the plan, I want to fight Sasuke. He's mine."

Sakura seemed to jump at this as well, "I want to fight Sasuke-ku…Sasuke as well!" she said, raising her hand eagerly like a school girl. Naruto didn't seem to have any problem with it.

Shino inwardly shook his head _I know they have unresolved issues, but they're making it exceedingly difficult. Now we'll have to build our strategy around them…Naruto would have been a good partner for Orochimaru as well…_

Outwardly, Shino just went with it and continued, "Well then, it seems that we will be splitting the battles into separate ones. Since Naruto and Sakura want to fight Sasuke, that leaves Kiba, Tenten, and I to deal with Orochimaru and Kabuto."

Kiba looked at Shino in disbelief, "Are you just going to let them fight Sasuke like that!"

"Are you volunteering?" Shino retorted, raising an eyebrow over his glasses…err…goggles…whatever.

Kiba's eyes widened comically as he turned away, making a grunting noise like a dog that's disgruntled at being picked up out of the blue by it's owner. Shino ignored this in favor of talking to the rest of them.

"Well, since, from what I know, Kabuto tends to rely on medical ninjutsu and a fighting style that requires chakra, as well as the fact that Orochimaru will probably need at least two people anyway to keep him from interrupting in the other battles anyway, it is my idea that I should fight Kabuto while Kiba and Tenten fight Orochimaru. Are there any objections?"

Tenten shook her head. Why should there be, when they worked perfectly fine against that Doton jutsu user? Kiba wasn't paying attention still lost within the confines of his mind after being shown up by Shino. Noticing Tenten's look, Shino told her, "Don't worry, he'll snap out of it soon. And when he does, make sure to fill him in on the plan."

The five intrepid ninja (plus dog) set off immediately, with Kiba in the back, running on autopilot. It was strange, for on the first three floors, there were absolutely no traps to be found. While it was probably to put one in a false sense of security, it did the exact opposite with the team from Konoha. The eerie quietness was starting to get to them (well, Kiba, Tenten, and Sakura, anyway. Shino and Naruto just kind of kept walking), making them somewhat (really) paranoid.

It was on the fourth floor that everything started happening. It first, it seemed to be endlessly sloping down until they found that they were caught in a genjutsu trap. Then, when they released themselves from the genjutsu, the found that they were actually sloping down. This scared them into thinking that they were still trapped in the genjutsu, and Kiba used up a good bit of chakra trying to 'kai' the supposed thing into nonexistence before Sakura managed to calm him down.

Then they happened upon a room with three doors to choose from. It turned out that only the center door was a real one, as the other too only led to painted walls. Well, it couldn't really be distinguished as a wall until they walked inside and triggered the trap, causing the wall, which appeared to be pulled far back into a corridor and arrested by springs, to shoot forward and eject them forcefully from the pathway. This gave Naruto, Shino, and Kiba (luckily, Akamaru was hiding behind Kiba and was thus cushioned from the blow) a broken rib or two. It was no problem for Naruto, who healed right up by himself, but Sakura had to tend to Shino and Kiba, already using up chakra to heal them quickly.

They were then subjected to numerous other small traps. This time thankfully of the normal variety (shuriken, kunai, small spiked pitfalls, etc.). These were still physically tiring nonetheless, as they were forced to dodge with nearly inhuman speed.

Thusly, it was a lucky break that they came upon a larger pitfall that dropped them down into a large, cavernous room. Now, to the normal eye, this wouldn't look like an advantageous happening, especially after water started filling it at a rapid rate. This didn't bother the ninja, however, as they had managed to learn to walk on water long ago.

They were still in quite a conundrum, however, as the water level was rapidly rising, forcing them to stretch out their chakra farther and farther, with no escape in sight (the trapdoor in which they entered was made of pure iron and steel and obviously locked). Of course, it was just their luck that no one noticed the small latch sitting innocently on the floor in the center of the room (which no doubt led to the next level and hopefully Orochimaru's throne room. After all, anyone would doubt that they could take much more.

Their heads were scant inches from the wall when wonder of wonders, Shino remembered that this was water and that they could go **down**. Looking down, he did manage to notice the latch. Facing his teammates, he told one of them to dive down and release the latch. When told to do it himself by a rather miffed Kiba (He ain't the boss of us! He shouldn't order us around like that! If he wants to it done, he should do it himself!), Shino answered, "My bugs…they are not partial to water…"

That was quite enough for Naruto as without a word, he shed his jacket and dived down towards the latch. He was unable to release it, however, as the water pressure was too much for him to overcome. So, he half-stood half-floated there for a bit, thinking while his friends were barely able to crouch upright anymore. Finally, much to everyone's surprise and relief, it appeared he had an idea.

Naruto created a rasengan and drove it into the spot where the door should have been. While the rasengan lost most of its drilling power due to the water, the water itself made a strong enough current to push past the door and break it due to the sheer inequilibrium (is it a word? I'm not sure but I'm using it anyway XP) of pressure.

Naruto fell through in the first gush of water. The rest of the team followed through almost a whole two minutes after along with the last of the draining water.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of clapping. Well, not really clapping, more like something wet colliding with flesh (that's his tongue 'clapping' against one of his dead arms, in case you didn't get it). Orochimaru stepped slowly out of the shadows, "Kukukuku…It seems that we have some rather unexpected…or should I say expected? Guests. Isn't that right, Kabuto, Sasuke?"

The aforementioned people also stepped out of the shadows and formed a sort of triangle formation with Orochimaru as the center. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama" They both intoned in unison.

Orochimaru looked the same as always, with arms wrapped in bandages, a beige tunic, and baggy pants tied together with a purple bow. Kabuto too changed very little. For now he was wearing a very simplistic royal blue T-shirt/midnight blue pants combo with a long sleeved fishnet shirt underneath and thin chest armor. He also appeared to have gained a pair of escrima sticks.

Sasuke, however, changed the most. His bangs were now down to his chin and his hair was shoulder length (thought the back still stuck up somewhat, it was not as prominent due to the longer hair). He now had a thin black T-shirt with the Uchiha fan at the shoulders as well as a white vest with no collar that was worn unzipped. A sound hitai-ate replaced the konoha hitai-ate at his forehead and he now had longer, thicker black pants that covered the top part of his high-topped black ninja sandals. He also seemed to have gained a peculiar weapon, this one a katana with a armored, curved, segmented haft (bottom part of the handle).

Orochimaru smirked, "Well well, it looks like some stray leafs got lost in the snake's pit. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We came here to destroy you, Orochimaru!" Kiba growled ferally as he said this.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well then, it seems as your host…that I must welcome you to the sixth layer of my lair!" He bowed with a flourish, all the while congratulating himself on his 'fabulous' pun.

"Let the games begin!"

* * *

No notes today...but I do have an idea that i'd like to run past my readers. I have an idea for a new fic, in which the name should be enough to explain what it's about. There are multiple possible versions of this idea, so I would appreciate it if you tell me if you hate this idea, like the current idea, or like the base of the idea, but would like a different version. If you would like a different version, please include which one of the ones I've thought up or an original one that you'd like.

The title is: "Civillian eye for the Shinobi guy". Of course, it is quite easy to switch it around and make it, "Shinobi eye for the civillian guy", or even, "Kunoichi eye for the Shinobi guy". I'd like to see what you think of these ideas.

And as always, feedback on the actual story would be appreciated, so please REVIEW!


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